777  *  f  f  t  f  l  r  f  ft  F  £(.!'"'* 


; 

LIBRARY 


OF   THI. 


UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA. 


<T!  RT    OR 


Accession  No.  WO  •    Class  No. 


/ 


ITSR3ITY 


^?^ 


RAPHAEL  SEMMES. 


THE    CRUISE 


OF 


THE     ALABAMA 


AND   THE 


SUMTER. 


FROM  THE  PRIVATE  JOURNALS  AND  OTHER  PAPERS  OP 

COMMANDER  R.  SEMMES,  C.SJ. 

M 
AND   OT11ER   OFFICERS. 


(too  l)olnmes  in    (Due. 


NEW     YORK: 


Carleton,  Publisher,  4.13   Broadway, 

LONDON  :    SAUNDERS   OTLEY,    &   CO. 
M  DCCC  LXIV. 


tr/sr 

Entered  according  to  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  1864,  by 
GEO.  W.  CARLETON, 

In  the  Clerk's  Office  of  the  District  Court  of  the  United  States  for  the   Southern 
District  of  New  York. 


K.    CRAIGHKAD, 

uter,  Siereoiyper,  anil  Klectroiyptff, 

Carton   L'uiltiing, 

81,  83,  am/  tii   Cent,,  Street. 


ADVERTISEMENT 


TO    THE    LONDON   EDITION. 


THE  following  account  of  the  cruise  of  the  two  Confede 
rate  States  steamers — Sumter-  and  Alabama — is  taken  from, 
the  private  journals  and  other  papers  of  Captain  Semmes. 
It  has  been  found  necessary  occasionally  to  adopt  a  narra 
tive  form,  but  the  endeavour  has  been  throughout  to 
adhere  as  closely  as  possible  to  that  officer's  own  words. 

Information  has  also  been  most  kindly  afforded  by  other 
officers  of  the  two  vessels,  and  especially  Lieutenant  K.  F. 
Armstrong,  and  Master's  Mate  G.  Townley  Fullam,  from 
whose  private  journals  and  other  papers  much  valuable 
assistance  has  been  obtained. 

A  good  deal  of  controversy  has  arisen  respecting  the 
legality  of  the  course  pursued  by  the  Alabama,  in  the  case 
of  certain  vessels  claiming  to  carry  a  neutral  cargo.  In  all 
these  cases,  however,  great  care  was  taken  by  Captain 
Semmes  to  enter  in  his  journal  full  particulars  of  the 
claims,  and  of  the  grounds  on  which  it  was  refused  admis 
sion.  These  cases  will  be  found  quoted  in  full  in  the  fol 
lowing  volumes. 


.. 


- 

CRUISE    OF 

THE  ALABAMA  AND  THE   SUITER. 


CHAPTER    I. 

The  Question  at  issue — An  unexpected  point  of  attack —  Captain  Semmes 
—  The  President's  instructions — Creating  a  navy — from  the  old  to 
the  new — An  important  mission — Appointed  to  the  Sumter — True 
character  of  the  Confederate  "pirate." 

THE  President  of  the  American  States  in  Confederation  was 
gathering  an  army  for  the  defence  of  Southern  liberty.  Where 
valour  is  a  national  inheritance,  and  an  enthusiastic  unanimity  pre 
vails,  this  will  not  prove  a  difficult  task.  It  is  otherwise  with  the 
formation  of  a  navy.  Soldiers  of  Southern  blood  had  thrown  up 
their  commissions  in  a  body;  but  sailors  love  their  ships  as  well 
as  their  country,  and  appear  to  owe  some  allegiance  to  them  like 
wise.  Nevertheless,  if  Mr.  Davis  had  not  a  great  choice  of  officers, 
he  had  eminent  men  to  serve  him,  as  the  young  history  of  the 
South  has  abundantly  shown.  To  obtain  experienced  and  trusty 
seamen  was  easier  to  him  in  such  a  crisis  than  to  give  them  a 
command.  The  Atlantic  and  the  ports  of  America  were  ruled  at 
that  time  absolutely  by  President  Lincoln,  The  South  had  not 
a  voice  upon  the  sea.  The  merchants  of  New  York  and  Boston 
looked  upon  the  war  as  something  which  concerned  them  very 
little.  Not  a  dream  of  any  damage  possibly  to  be  inflicted  on 
them,  disturbed  the  serenity  of  their  votes  for  the  invasion  of 
the  South.  Their  fleets  entered  harbour  proudly  ;  their  marine 
swam  the  ocean  unmolested.  Though  there  was  war  imminent, 
the  insurance  offices  were  content  to  maintain  their  terms  upon  a 
peace  standard.  What,  indeed,  was  to  be  feared  ?  The  South 
had  not  a  single  vessel.  Here  and  there  a  packet-steamer  might 
be  caught  up  and  armed,  but  what  would  they  avail  against  such 
fleet  and  powerful  ships  as  the  Brooklyn,  the  Powhattan,  and 
dozens  of  others  ?  There  was,  then,  a  condition  of  perfect  security, 
according  to  the  ideas  of  all  American  commercial  men.  The 


8  CRUISE   OF  THE   ALABAMA  AND  THE  SUMTER. 

arrangement,  as  they  understood  it,  was  that  they  were  to  strike 
the  blow,  and  that  no  one  was  to  give  them  the  value  in  return. 

It  happened  that  Mr.  Davis  was  of  another  mind.  He  perceived 
where  a  blow  could  be  struck,  on  his  part,  with  terrible  emphasis, 
and  how.  The  obstacles  in  his  way  were  colossal ;  but  we  have 
learnt  that  obstacles  do  not  appal  his  indomitable  genius.  On  the 
14th  February,  1861,  Captain  Semmes,  being  then  at  his  residence 
in  the  city  of  Washington,  a  Commander  in  the  Federal  navy, 
received  the  following  telegram  from  Montgomery  : — 

SIR, — On  behalf  of  the  Committee  on  Naval  Affairs,  I  beg 
leave  to  request  that  you  will  repair  to  this  place  at  your  earliest 
convenience. 

Your  obedient  servant, 

C.  M.  CONRAD,   Chairman. 

The  selection  of  Captain  Semmes  for  the  first  hazardous  service, 
whatsoever  it  might  be,  was  due  to  his  reputation  and  patriotism, 
as  well  as  to  the  sagacity  of  the  Confederate  chief.  He  had 
already,  in  a  letter  to  the  Hon.  Alexander  H.  Stephens,  expressed 
his  willingness  to  fight  for  the  South  :  "  his  judgment,  his  inclina 
tions,  and  his  affections,"  all  hurrying  him,  as  he  says,  to  link  his 
fate  with  the  first  movement  of  the  South.  "  My  fate,"  he  pursues, 
"is  cast  with  the  South  ;  but  I  should  be  unwilling,  unless  invited, 
to  appear  to  thrust  myself  upon  the  new  Government  until  my 
own  State  has  moved."  This  was  at  that  time  the  feeling  of 
many  border  statesmen.  In  another  letter  to  Mr.  Curry  he  had 
exposed  sound  practical  views  of  the  situation  of  the  Confederates, 
as  regards  their  marine,  for  defence  and  means  of  inflicting  damage 
on  their  opponents. 

Captain  Semmes  at  once  replied  that  he  would  attend  upon  the 
committee  immediately.  His  next  act  was  respectfully  to  resign 
his  commission  as  Commander  in  the  Navy  of  the  United  States; 
which  resignation  was  accepted  in  the  same  terms.  He  ceased 
similarly  to  be  a  member  of  the  Lighthouse  Board.  These  mat 
ters  concluded,  he  telegraphed  to  the  Hon.  J.  L.  M.  Curry,  in 
Montgomery,  where  the  Confederate  States'  Congress  was  sitting, 
that  he  was  now  a  free  man  to  serve  his  struggling  country. 
Forthwith  he  was  deputed  by  President  Davis  to  return  to  the 
Northern  States,  and  make  large  purchases  and  contracts  "  for 
machinery  and  munitions,  or  for  the  manufacture  of  arms  and 
munitions  of  war;"  as  also  to  obtain  "cannon  and  musket- 
powder,  the  former  of  the  coarsest  grain,"  and  to  engage  with  a 
certain  proprietor  of  powder-mills  for  the  "  establishment  of  a 


CRUISE   OF   THE   ALABAMA  AND   THE   SUMTER.  9 

powder-mill  at  some  point  in  the  limits  of  our  territory."  This 
letter  gives  a  good  idea  of  the  business  like  qualities  brought  by 
Mr.  Davis  to  his  high  office.  "At  the  arsenal  at  Washington," 
he  writes,  "you  will  find  an  artificer  named  Wright,  who  has 
brought  the  cap-making  machine  to  its  present  state  of  efficiency, 
and  who  might  furnish  a  cap-machine,  and  accompany  it,  to  ex 
plain  its  operations."  Throughout  the  letter,  which  is  full  of 
minute  instructions  and  weighty  commissions,  Mr.  Davis  shows 
the  fullest  confidence  in  the  loyalty  and  fitness  of  the  man  in 
whom  he  placed  trust. 

Captain  Semmes  was  engaged  in  the  performance  of  these  im 
mediate  duties,  when  a  confidential  communication  from  Mr.  S. 
R.  Mallory,  of  the  Navy  department,  gave  him  warning  of  two  or 
more  steamers,  of  a  class  desired  for  present  service,  which  might 
be  purchased  at  or  near  New  York — "steamers  of  speed,  light 
draught,  and  strength  sufficient  for  at  least  one  heavy  gun." 

"  The  steamers  are  x  designed  to  navigate  the  waters  and 
enter  the  bays  and  inlets  of  the  coast  from  Charleston  to 
the  St.  Mary's,  and  from  Key  West  to  the  Rio  Grande,  for 
coast  defences;"  and  Captain  Semmes'  judgment  will  need  no 
further  guide  when  he  is  told  that  "their  speed  should  be  suffi 
cient  to  give  them  at  all  times  the  ability  to  engage  or  to  evade  an 
engagement,  and  that  an  8  or  10-inch  gun,  with,  perhaps,  two  32, 
or,  if  not,  two  of  smaller  calibre,  should  constitute  their  battery." 

The  Captain's  appointment  as  Commander  in  the  Navy  of  the 
Confederate  States,  and  taking  of  the  oaths,  followed  in  April. 
On  the  18th  of  that  month,  Mr.  Mallory  detached  him  from  the 
post  he  held,  by  appointment  from  the  President,  of  Chief  of  the 
Lighthouse  Bureau,  with  orders  that  he  should  proceed  to  New 
Orleans  and  take  command  of  the  steamer  Sumter.  Captain 
Semmes  saw  clearly  that  war  was  coming.  He  perceived,  at  the 
same  time,  the  means  by  which  he  could  serve  his  country  best. 
He  set  forth  for  New  Orleans  without  delay. 

Our  readers  will  see,  by-and-by,  from  the  quotations  we  shall 
make  from  the  Captain's  Log,  that  he  is  as  little  the  hungry  fire- 
eater  which  many  of  his  admirers  suppose  him  to  be,  as  he  is  the 
Black  Pirate  of  the  New  York  press.  Captain  Semmes  is  a 
native  of  Charles  county,  in  Maryland,  a  State  that  has  furnished 
numerous  patriotic  citizens  to  the  South.  Before  accepting  his 
new  service  he  had  taken  honourable  farewell  of  his  old.  The 
Federals  had  no  charge  to  bring  against  him  before  the  day  when 
he  stepped  on  the  deck  of  the  then  unknown  and  insignificant 
Sumter  steam-vessel.  What  they  may  have  said  later  is  of  no 
particular  consequence ;  nor  can  it  be  thought  to  be  greatly  to  the 


10         CRUISE   OF  THE  ALABAMA  AND   THE  SUMTER. 

discredit  of  Captain  Semmes  that  they  have  cried  out  loudly,  and 
as  men  in  pain. 


CHAPTER  II. 

The  Sumter  formerly  the  Havannah  packet-ship — Captain  Semmes 
joins  and  assumes  command — Altering  the  vessel — Vexatious  delays — 
The  war  begins — The  river  blockaded — Crew  of  the  Sumter — Drop 
ping  down  the  river — An  attempt — No  pilots — Vigorous  action — 
Sumter  still  at  her  anchors— Lamps  removed  from  lighthouses — More 
enemy  s  ships — Orders  on  board  the  Sumter — False  hopes — The  30th 
of  June — A  courageous  pilot — The  escape  of  the  Sumter — The  chase 
— The  enemy  baffled. 

THE  little  vessel  which  now  constituted  the  whole  strength  of  the 
Confederate  navy,  was  a  merchant  screw-steamer  of  501  tons 
burthen.  She  had  been  hitherto  known  as  the  Havannah,  and 
had  plied  as  a  packet-ship  between  the  port  of  that  name  and 
New  Orleans.  She  was  now  to  be  extemporized  into  a  man-of- 
war,  and  in  her  new  guise  was  to  achieve  a  world-wide  celebrity, 
and  to  play  no  unimportant  part  in  the  great  struggle  between 
North  and  South. 

Arrived  in  New  Orleans,  Captain  Semmes  at  once  proceeded, 
in  company  with  Lieutenant  Chapman,  to  inspect  his  new  com 
mand — of  which  he  speaks  with  evident  satisfaction  as  a  "  staunch 
and  well-built"  vessel.  In  her  then  condition,  however,  she  was 
by  no  means  fitted  for  her  new  duties  ;  and  he  accordingly  devot 
ed  all  his  energies  towards  effecting  the  alterations  necessary  for 
that  purpose.  The  first  step  was  to  disencumber  her  decks  of  the 
long  range  of  upper  cabins,  thus  materially  increasing  her  buoy 
ancy  as  a  sea-boat,  and  diminishing  the  area  exposed  to  the  enemy's 
shot  and  shell.  Then  a  berth-deck  was  laid  for  the  accommoda 
tion  of  officers  and  crew,  and  the  main  deck  renewed  and  strength 
ened  to  carry  the  heavy  8-inch  shell-gun,  mounted  on  a  pivot  be 
tween  the  fore  and  mainmasts,  and  the  four  24-pounder  howitzers- 
of  13  cwt.  each,  to  be  mounted  as  a  broadside  battery.  Additional 
coal-bunkers  were  also  constructed,  and  a  magazine  and  shell-room 
built  in  a  suitable  position,  and  these  and  a  few  other  less  import 
ant  changes  effected,  the  transformation  was  complete,  and  the  lit 
tle  Sumter  ready  to  proceed  upon  her  work  of  devastation. 

It  must  not,  however,  be  imagined  that  all  this  was  done  with 
out  many  and  vexatious  delays.  The  emergency  had  found  the 


CRUISE  OF  THE  ALABAMA  AND  THE  SUMTER.    11 

new  Confederation  altogether  unprepared,  and  trouble  and  confu 
sion  were  the  inevitable  result.  Hitherto,  everything  had  been 
done  by  the  North.  Up  to  the  very  last  moment  it  had  been  be 
lieved  that  the  separation  of  the  two  sections  would  be  peaceably 
effected ;  and  now  the  necessary  works  had  to  be  hastily  carried 
out  by  civilian  workmen,  under  the  direction  of  a  department,  it 
self  as  yet  but  provisionally  and  most  imperfectly  organized. 

Sorely  tried  by  the  delays  consequent  upon  this  condition  of 
affairs,  Captain  Semmes  commences  his  Diary  as  follows  : — 

New  Orleans,  May  24th. — A  month  has  elapsed  since  I  began 
the  preparation  of  the  Sumter  for  sea,  and  yet  we  are  not  ready. 
Leeds  and  Co.  have  not  given  ns  our  tanks,  and  we  only  received 
the  carriage  of  the  8-inch  gun  to-day.  The  officers  are  all  present, 
and  the  crew  has  been  shipped,  and  all  are  impatient  to  be  off. 
The  river  is  not  yet  blockaded,  but  expected  to  be  to-morrow.  It 
must  be  a  close  blockade,  and  by  heavy  vessels,  that  will  keep  us 
in.  Troops  are  being  collected  in  large  numbers  in  the  enemy's 
States,  marchings  and  counter-marchings  are  going  on  ;  and  the 
fleet  seems  to  be  kept  very  busy,  scouring  hither  and  thither,  but 
nothing  accomplished.  Whilst  penning  the  last  paragraph,  news 
reaches  us  that  the  Lincoln  Government  has  crossed  the  Potomac 
and  invaded  Virginia !  Thus  commences  a  bloody  and  a  bitter 
war.  So  be  it;  we  but  accept  the  gauntlet  which  has  been  flung 
in  our  faces.  The  future  will  tell  a  tale  worthy  of  the  South  and 
of  her  noble  cause." 

But  the  delays  were  not  yet  over.  On  the  27th  May,  the  Unit 
ed  States  steamer  Brooklyn  made  her  appearance,  and  commenced 
the  blockade  of  the  river.  The  following  day  brought  the  power 
ful  frigates  Niagara  and  Minnesota  to  her  assistance ;  and  when  on 
the  1st  of  June  Captain  Semmes  began  at  length  to  look  hopefully 
seawards,  the  Powhattan  was  discovered  carefully  watching  the 
only  remaining  exit  from  the  river. 

One  by  one,  however,  the  difficulties  were  fairly  overcome,  and 
the  infant  navy  of  the  Confederate  States  was  ready  to  take  the 
sea.  The  Sumter's  crew  consisted  of  Captain  Semmes,  command 
ing,  four  lieutenants,  a  paymaster,  a  surgeon,  a  lieutenant  of  ma 
rines,  four  midshipmen,  four  engineers,  boatswain,  gunner,  sail- 
maker,  carpenter,  captain's  and  purse r's>lerks,  twelve  marines,  arid 
seventy-two  seamen.  Thus  manned  and  equipped,  she  dropped 
down  the  river  on  the  18th  June,  and  anchored  off  the  Barracks 
for  the  purpose  of  receiving  on  board  her  ammunition  and  other 
similar  stores.  From  thence  she  again  proceeded  on  the  same 
evening  still  lower  down  the  river  to  Forts  Philip  and  Jackson, 


12         CKUISE  OF  THE  ALABAMA  AND  THE  SUMTEK. 

where  she  brought  np  on  the  following  day,  to  await  a  favourable 
opportunity  for  running  the  blockade. 

For  three  days  she  remained  at  her  new  anchorage,  this  period 
of  enforced  inactivity  being  diligently  employed  in  drilling  and 
exercising  the  crew,  and  bringing  the  vessel  generally  into  some 
what  better  order  than  her  hurried  equipment  had  as  yet  permit 
ted  her  to  assume.  On  the  21st  June,  however,  intelligence  was 
received  that  the  Powhattan  had  left  her  station  in  chase  of  two 
vessels,  and  that  a  boat  from  the  Brooklyn  had  passed  into  the 
river,  and  was  making  for  the  telegraph  station.  Captain  Semmes 
at  once  decided  to  avail  himself  of  this  opportunity  to  escape  to 
sea,  and  getting  up  steam,  proceeded  to  Pass  a  L'Outre,  and  de 
spatched  one  of  his  boats  to  the  lighthouse  for  a  pilot. 

Here,  however,  an  unexpected  difficulty  occurred.  The  light 
house-keeper  replied  that  he  knew  nothing  of  the  pilots,  and  the 
Sumter  was  accordingly  compelled  again  to  bring  up,  whilst  the 
Confederate  privateer  Ivy  ran  down,  at  Captain  Semmes'  request, 
to  the  South-west  Pass,  to  endeavour  to  procure  a  pilot  for  her 
there.  This  expedition,  however,  met  with  no  better  success,  and 
the  Ivy  returned  with  the  information  that  the  pilots  refused  to 
take  charge  of  the  vessel.  A  further  despatch  was  addressed  to 
Captain  Semmes,  from  the  Captain  of  the  House  of  Pilots,  to  the 
effect  that  "  no  pilots  were  now  on  duty." 

It  now  became  necessary  to  act  with  vigour,  and  the  Ivy  was 
accordingly  again  despatched  to  the  South-west  Pass.  This  time, 
however,  she  carried  with  her  the  first  lieutenant  of  the  Sumter, 
with  the  following  peremptory  message  to  the  Master  of  the  Pilot 
Association  to  repair  immediately  on  board,  and  instructions,  if 
any  hesitation  were  evinced  in  complying  with  this  command,  to 
arrest  the  entire  body  and  bring  them  off: — 

C.  8.  steamer  Snmter,  Head  of  the  Passes 
June  22nd,  1861. 

SIR, — This  is  to  command  you  to  repair  on  board  this  ship  with 
three  or  four  of  the  most  experienced  pilots  of  the  Bar.  I  am 
surprised  to  learn  that  an  unwillingness  has  been  expressed  by 
some  of  the  pilots  of  your  Association  to  come  on  board  the 
Sumter,  and  my  purpose  is  to  test  the  fact  of  such  disloyalty  to 
the  Confederate  States.  If  any  man  disobey  this  summons,  I  will 
not  only  have  his  Brancl^faken  away  from  him,  but  I  will  send  an 
armed  force  and  arrest  and  bring  him  on  board. 
I  have  the  honour  to  be, 

Very  respectfully,    . 

Your  obedient  Servant, 
(Signed)  It.  SBMMES. 


CRUISE   OF  THE  ALABAMA  AND  THE   SUMTER.         13 

This  extreme  measure,  however,  was  not  found  necessary.  The 
mere  threat  was  sufficient,  and  on  the  following  day  the  master, 
with  several  of  his  pilots,  made  their  appearance  on  board  the 
Snmter.  After  a  brief  consultation  with  Captain  Semmes,  they 
one  and  all,  with  the  exception  of  the  master,  expressed  their 
willingness  to  take  the.  vessel  to  sea,  and  thereupon  the  captain, 
selecting  one  of  the  number  for  this  service,  permitted  the  re 
mainder  to  depart. 

Meanwhile,  however,  the  golden  opportunity  had  been  lost;  the 
Powhattan  had  returned  to  her  station,  and  the  harbour  was  again 
hermetically  sealed.  The  Sumter,  therefore,  was  again  compelled 
to  return  to  her  anchors,  and  eight  more  days  passed  wearily 
away  without  affording  another  opportunity  of  evasion.  The 
interval  of  expectation,  however,  was  again  occupied  in  drilling  and 
exercising  the  crew,  which  was  now  beginning  to  get  into  good 
working  order ;  measures  being  also  taken  for  extinguishing  and 
removing  the  lamps  from  the  lighthouses  at  Pass  &  L'Outre  and 
the  South  Pass,  Captain  Semmes  addressing  to  the  Navy  Depart 
ment  at  Richmond  the  following  letter  upon  the  subject : — 

C.  8.  steamer  Snmter,  Head  of  the  Passes, 
Miss.  River,  June  80th,  1861. 

gIR5 — I  have  the  honour  to  inform  the  department  that  I  am 
still  at  my  anchors  at  the  "  Head  of  the  Passes,"  the  enemy 
closely  investing  both  of  the  practicable  outlets.  At  Pass  a 
L'Outre  there  are  three  ships — the  Brooklyn  and  another  pro 
peller,  and  a  large  side-wheel  steamer  ;  and  at  the  South-west  Pass 
there  is  the  Powhattan,  lying  within  half-a-mile  of  the  Bar,  and 
not  stirring  an  inch  from  her  anchors  night  or  day.  I  am  only 
surprised  that  the  Brooklyn  does  not  come  up  to  this  anchorage, 
which  she  might  easily  do  (as  there  is  water  enough,  and  no  mili 
tary  precautions  whatever  have  been  taken  to  hold  it),  and  thus 
effectually  seal  all  the  passes  of  the  river  by  her  presence  alone, 
which  would  enable  the  enemy  to  withdnftw  the  remainder  of  his 
blockading  force  for  use  elsewhere.  With  the  assistance  of  the 
Jackson  and  McRae  (neither  of  which  has  yet  dropped  down),  I 
could  probably  hold  my  position  here  until  an  opportunity  offered 
of  my  getting  to  sea.  I  shall  watch  diligently  for  such  an  oppor 
tunity,  and  have  no  doubt  that,  sooner  or  later,  it  will  present 
itself.  I  four*},  upon  dropping  down  to  this  point,  that  the  lights 
at  Pass  a  L'Outre  and  South  Pass  had  been  strangely  overlooked, 
and  that  they  were  still  burning.  I  caused  them  both  to  be 
extinguished,  so  that  if  bad  weather  should  set  in,  the  blockading 
vessel  will  have  nothing  "  to  hold  on  to,"  and  will  be  obliged  to 


14         CRUISE  OF  THE  ALABAMA  AND  THE  SUMTER. 

make  an  offing.  At  present  the  worst  feature  of  the  blockade  is 
that  the  Brooklyn  has  the  speed  of  me,  so  that,  even  though  I 
should  run  the  bar,  I  could  not  hope  to  escape  her  unless  I  sur 
prised  her,  which,  with  her  close  watch  of  the  Bar,  at  anchor  near 
to,  both  night  and  day,  it  will  be  exceedingly  difficult  to  do.  I 
should  be  quite  willing  to  try  speed  with  the  Powhattan  if  I  could 
hope  to  run  the  gauntlet  of  her  guns  without  being  crippled  ;  but 
unfortunately,  with  all  the  buoys  and  other  ma;ks  removed,  there 
is  a  perfectly  blind  bar  except  by  daylight.  In  the  meantime  I 
am  drilling  my  gun-crew  to  a  proper  use  of  the  great  guns  and 
small  arms.  With  the  exception  of  diarrhoea  which  is  prevailing 
to  some  extent,  brought  on  by  too  free  a  use  of  the  river  water  in 
the  excessive  heats  which  prevail,  the  crew  continue  healthy. 
*  *  *  *  * 

I  have  the  honour  to  be,  &c.,  &cn 

(Signed)     .  R.  SEMMKS. 

Hon.  G.  E.  Mallory,  Secretory  of  the  Navy, 
Richmond,  Virginia. 

The  following  orders  were  also  issued  : — 

u  Orders  to  be  Observed  on  Board  the  C.  S.  Steamer  Sumter. 

"  1.  The  deck  will  never  be  left  without  a  lieutenant,  except 
that  in  port  a  midshipman  may  be  assigned  to  keep  the  first  lieu 
tenant's  watch. 

"  2.  The  quarter-deck  will  at  all  times  be  regarded  as  a  place  of 
parade,  and  no  sitting  or  lounging  will  be  permitted  thereon.  For 
the  purposes  of  this  order  all  the  spar  deck  abaft  the  mainmast 
will  be  regarded  as  the  quarter-deck. 

"  3.  Officers  will  wear  their  uniforms  at  all  times  when  on  board 
ship,  and  when  on  shore  on  duty. 

"  4.  No  officer  will  remain  out  of  the  ship  after  ten  P.M.  with 
out  the  special  permission  of  the  commander. 

"5.  Each  division  of  guns  will  be  exercised  at  least  three  times 
a  week  ;  and  there  will  be  an  exercise  at  general  quarters  twice  a 
week,  viz.,  on  Tuesdays  and  Fridays. 

"  6.  The  crew  will  be  mustered  at  quarters  for  inspection  every 
morning  at  nine  o'clock  (except  Sundays),  and  every  evening  at 
sunset. 

"  7.  On  Sundays  there  will  be  a  general  muster  for  inspection  at 
eleven  A.M.,  when  the  officers  will  appear  in  undress  with  epaulettes. 

"  8.  The  chief  engineer  is  to  keep  the  commander  informed  at 
all  times  (through  the  first  lieutenant)  of  the  condition  of  his  en 
gines,  boilers,  &c. ;  and  he  is  to  see  that  his  assistants,  &c.,  are 


CRUISE  OF  THE  ALABAMA  AND   THE  SUMTER.         15 

punctual  and  zealous  in  the  performance  of  their  duties,  and  report 
such  as  fail  therein  to  the  first  lieutenant. 

"  9.  There  will  be  an  engineer  at  all  times  on  watch  in  the  en 
gine-room  when  the  ship  is  under  steam,  and  the  engineer  on 
watch  will  report  every  two  hours  to  the  officer  of  the  deck  how 
the  engines  are  working,  &c. 

"10.  The  marine  officer  will  drill  his  guard  once  everyday 
when  the  weather  is  suitable,  and  the  duty  of  the  ship  does  not  in 
terfere  therewith. 

"11.  The  firemen  will  be  exercised  once  a  week,  when  the  pumps, 
hose,  <fec.,  are  to  be  adjusted,  and  used  as  in  case  of  actual  fire." 

On  the  morning  of  the  29th  of  June  hopes  were  again  excited 
by  a  report  from  the  pilot  that  the  Brooklyn  had  left  her  station  ; 
and  steam  being  got  up  with  all  speed  on  board  the  Sumter,  she 
again  dropped  down  to  Pass  a  1'Outre,  but  only  to  find  that  the 
report  had  been  fallacious.  The  Brooklyn  was  still  at  anchor, 
though  a  slight  change  of  berth  had  placed  her  behind  the  shelter 
of  a  mass  of  trees.  Once  more,  therefore,  the  Sumter  was  brought 
to  an  anchor;  but  on  the  day  following,  her  patient  waiting  was 
rewarded  by  the  long-looked-for  opportunity.  On  the  morning  of 
the  30th  of  June  the  Brooklyn  was  again  reported  under  way  and 
in  chase  of  a  vessel  to  leeward ;  and  no  sooner  was  the  fact  of  her 
departure  fairly  verified  than  steam  was  got  up  for  the  last  time, 
and  the  little  Sumter  dashed  boldly  across  the  bar,  and  stood  out 
to  sea. 

Almost  at  the  last  moment,  however,  it  seemed  as  though  the 
attempt  to  escape  were  again  to  be  baffled  by  difficulties  on  the 
part  of  the  pilot.  The  man  on  board  of  the  Sumter  lost  courage 
as  the  moment  of  trial  came,  and  professed  his  inability  to  take 
the  vessel  through  the  pass  thus  left  free  by  the  departure  of  the 
Brooklyn,  alleging  as  his  excuse  that  he  had  not  passed  through  it 
for  more  than  three  months.  Happily  the  man's  cowardice  or 
treachery  produced  no  ill  effects  ;  for,  as  the  Sumter  dropped  down 
the  river  on  her  way  towards  the  open  sea,  another  pilot  came 
gallantly  off  to  her  in  his  little  boat,  and  volunteered  to  carry  her 
through  the  Pass. 

*  The  Sumter  had  not  reached  within  six  miles  of  the  bar  when 
her  movements  were  perceived  from  the  Brooklyn,  which  at  once 
relinquished  the  far  less  valuable  prize  on  which  she  had  been 
hitherto  intent ;  and,  changing  her  course,  headed  at  top  speed 
towards  the  bar,  in  hopes  of  cutting  the  Surater  off  before  she 
could  reach  it.  The  narrow  opening  through  the  bar,  distant 
about  six  miles  from  either  of  the  opposing  vessels,  now  became 


16         CRUISE   OF  THE  ALABAMA  AND  THE   SUMTER. 

the  goal  of  a  sharp  and  exciting  race.  The  Sumter  had  the 
advantage  of  the  stream  :  but  the  Brooklyn  was  her  superior  in 
speed,  and  moreover,  carried  guns  of  heavier  calibre  and  longer 
range.  At  length  the  Pass  is  reached  ;  and  dashing  gallantly 
across  it,  the  little  Sumter  starboards  her  helm  and  rounds  the 
mud-banks  to  the  eastward !  As  she  does  so  the  Brooklyn  rounds 
to  for  a  moment  and  gives  her  a  shot  from  her  pivot  gun.  But 
the  bolt  falls  short ;  and  now  the  race  begins  in  earnest ! 

The  chase  had  not  continued  long,  when  a  heavy  squall  of 
wind  and  rain  came  up  and  hid  the  pursuing  vessel  from  sight ; 
but  it  soon  passed  away;  and  the  Brooklyn  was  again  descried 
astern,  under  all  sail  and  steam,  and  evidently  gaining  upon  her 
little  quarry.  On  this  the  Sumter  was  hauled  two  points  higher 
up,  thus  bringing  the  wind  so  far  forward  that  the  Brooklyn  was 
no  longer  able  to  carry  sail.  And  now  the  chase  in  her  turn 
began  to  gain  upon  her  huge  pursuer.  But  she  was  now  in  salt 
water,  and  her  boilers  were  beginning  to  "prime"  furiously. 
It  was  necessary  to  slacken  speed  for  a  time,  and  as  she  did  so 
the  Brooklyn  again  recovered  her  advantage.  Then  gradually 
the  foaming  in  the  Snmter's  boilers  ceased,  and  she  was  again  put 
to  her  speed.  The  utmost  pressure  was  put  on  ;  the  propeller 
began  to  move  at  the  rate  of  sixty-five  revolutions  a  minute,  and 
the  Brooklyn  once  more  dropped  slowly  but  steadily  astern.  At 
length  she  gave  up  the  chase,  and  at  four  o'clock  in  the  afternoon, 
just  four  hours  after  crossing  the  bar,  the  crew  of  the  Sumter  gave 
three  hearty  cheers  as  her  baffled  pursuer  put  up  her  helm,  and, 
relinquishing  the  chase,  turned  sullenly  back  to  her  station  at  the 
mouth  of  the  river. 


CHAPTER   III. 

Beginning  the  cruise — The  first  prize  the  Golden  Rocket — The  capture 
burnt—  '1  he  Cuba  and  Machias — Cienfuegos — The  Ben  Dunning  and 
Albert  Adams — Three  at  once:  the  West  Wind,  the  Naiad,  and  t/ie 
Louisa  Kitham — A  fleet  of  prizes — Saluting  the  Confederate  States' 
flag— At  Cuba— Strict  neutrality — A  prize  agent — The  Governor- 
General  of  Cuba — Recapture  by  the  United  States — An  accident  ty 
the  commander — A  gale — At  Curacao  —  The  Dutch  Governor — An 
ex-president  in  difficulties — The  Abby  Bradford — Venezuela — An  in 
hospitable  port — The  Joseph  Maxwell — Military  v  naval — /Sagacious 
skipper —  Gulf  of  Bahia, 

THE  Sumter  had  now  fairly  commenced  her  gallant  career.     The 
1st  July  dawned  bright  and  fair  with  a  light  breez*  from   the 


CRUISE  OF  THE  ALABAMA  AND  THE  SUMTER.    17 

south-west,  and  the  little  vessel  sped  through  the  water  at  an 
average  speed  of  about  eight  knots  an  hour.  All  that  day  not  a 
sail  appeared  in  sight.  Night  settled  down  in  all  the  calm  splen 
dour  of  the  tropic  seas,  and  nothing  disturbed  its  serenity  save 
the  monotonous  beating  of  the  Sumter's  propelu-r  as  she  steered  a 
south-easterly  course  down  the  Gulf  of  Mexico.  The  following 
day  brought  her  safely  to  Cape  Antonio,  which  she  rounded  under 
sail  and  steam,  and  striking  the  trade-winds,  hoisted  up  her  pro 
peller  and  stood  away  towards  the  west. 

The  afternoon  of  the  3rd  July  brought  the  Sumter  her  first 
prize.  At  about  3  P.M.  a  sail  was  descried  in  shore,  beating  to 
windward,  and  steering  a  course  that  would  bring  her  almost  into 
contact  with  the  Confederate  vessel.  To  avoid  suspicion,  no 
notice  was  taken  of  the  stranger  until  the  two  vessels  had  ap 
proached  within  the  distance  of  a  little  more  than  a  mile  from 
each  other,  when  a  display  of  English  colours  from  the  Con 
federate  was  answered  by  the  stranger  with  the  stars  and  stripes 
of  the  United  States.  Down  came  the  St.  George's  ensign  from 
the  Sumter's  peak,  to  be  replaced  almost  before  it  had  touched 
the  deck  by  the  stars  and  bars,  which  at  that  time  constituted  the 
flag  of  the  Confederate  States.  A  shot  was  fired  across  the  bows 
of  the  astonished  Yankee,  who  at  on^e  hove-to,  and  a  boat  was 
sent  on  board  to  take  possession  of  the  Sumter's  first  capture. 

The  prize  proved  to  be  the  ship  Golden  Rocket,  from  the 
Yankee  State  of  Maine — a  fine  ship  of  690  tons  burthen,  only 
three  years  old,  and  worth  from  30,000  to  40,000  dollars.  She 
was  bound  to  Cienfuegos  in  Cuba,  but  had  no  cargo  on  board, 
and  Captain  Semmes,  being  unwilling  at  that  early  stage  of  his 
cruise  to  spare  a  prize  crew,  determined  to  destroy  the  vessel,  and 
after  taking  the  captain  and  crew  on  board  the  Sumter  set  the 
prize  on  fire  and  left  her  to  her  fate.* 

*  "  It  was  about  ten  o'clock  at  night  when  the  first  glare  of  light  burst 
from  her  cabin- hatch.  Few,  few  on  board  can  forget  the  spectacle.  A  ship 
set  fire  to  at  seal  It  would  seem  that  man  was  almost  warring  with  his 
Maker.  Her  helpless  condition,  the  red  flames  licking  the  rigging  as  they 
climbed  aloft,  the  sparks  and  pieces  of  burning  rope  taken  off  by  the  wind 
and  flying  miles  to  leeward,  the  ghastly  glare  thrown  upon  the  dark  sea  as  far 
as  the  eye  could  reach,  and  then  the  death-like  stillness  of  the  scene — all 
these  combined  to  place  the  Golden  Rocket  on  the  tablet  of  our  memories 
for  ever.  But,  notwithstanding  the  reluctance  with  which  we  did  it,  we 
would  not  have  missed  the  opportunity  for  anything  on  earth.  We  wanted 
no  war— we  wanted  peace;  we  had  dear  friends  among  those  who  were 
making  war  upon  us,  and  for  their  sakes,  if  not  for  the  sake  of  humanity, 
we  hoped  to  be  allowed  to  separate  in  peace ;  but  it  could  not  be ;  they 
forced  the  war  upon  us — they  endeavoured  to  destroy  us.  For  this,  and  for 
this  alone,  we  burn  their  ships  and  destroy  their  commerce.  We  have  no 


18    CRUISE  OF  THE  ALABAMA  AND  THE  SUMTER. 

The  following  day  saw  two  more  prizes  fall  into  the  Sumter's 
hands.  These  were  the  brigantines  Cuba  and  Machias,  both  of 
Maine.  The  captures  were  taken  in  tow  and  carried  off  in  the 
direction  of  Cienfuegos.  The  next  day,  however,  the  Cuba  broke 
adrift  from  her  hawser,  and  on  being  recovered,  a  prize  crew 
was  sent  on  board  the  vessel,  with  directions  to  carry  her  into 
Cienfuegos,  for  which  port  Captain  Semmes  was  now  shaping  his 
course. 

Arrived  off  that  harbour  on  the  evening  of  the  same  day,  it 
was  found  too  late  to  attempt  to  enter,  and  two  more  vessels 
being  descried  in  the  offing,  the  Machias  was  cast  off,  with  orders 
to  lay-to  until  the  morning,  and  the  Sumter  started  off  in  chase. 
On  coming  up  with  the  two  vessels,  at  about  half-past  nine  o'clock, 
they  proved  to  be  the  United  States  brigantines,  Ben  Dunning 
and  Albert  Adams.  They  were  at  once  taken  possession  of,  and 
ordered  to  make  the  best  of  their  way  in  charge  of  a  prize  crew 
to  Cienfuegos. 

The  night  was  passed  in  standing  off  and  on  outside  the  har 
bour,  and  with  the  earliest  dawn  preparations  were  made  for  run 
ning  in.  The  weather  was  bright  and  clear,  and  the  brief  twilight 
of  the  tropics  flushed  rapidly  into  the  full  glare  of  day,  and 
showed  to  the  watchful  eyes  on  board  the  Sumter  the  welcome 
spectacle  of  three  more  vessels  being  towed  out  to  sea  by  a 
steamer,  the  stars  and  stripes  floating  gaily  from  their  peaks. 
Warily  and  patiently  the  little  Sumter  lay  in  wait,  under  the 
shelter  of  the  land,  until  the  steamer  had  cast  off  her  convoy,  and 
the  three  unsuspecting  vessels  were  fairly  beyond  the  maritime 
league  from  the  neutral  shore,  within  which  the  law  of  nations 
forbids  that  captures  should  be  made.  Then  suddenly  her  decks 
swarmed  with  men,  the  black  smoke  poured  from  her  funnel,  the 
sails  filled,  and  out  she  came  in  pursuit.  The  chase  was  brief, 
and  ere  long  the  barque  West  Wind,  the  brigantine  Naiad,  and 
the  barque  Louisa  Kilham  were  in  charge  of  prize  crews,  and 
wending  their  way  sadly  back  to  the  port  they  had  so  recently 
left  in  full  expectation  of  a  prosperous  voyage. 

So,  with  her  little  fleet  of  prizes,  six  in  all,  before  her,  the 
Sumter  steered  proudly  into  the  harbour  of  Cienfuegos.  As  she 
passed  the  fort  which  guards  the  entrance,  a  hail  was  heard  from 
the  shore,  accompanied  by  the  almost  simultaneous  report  of  a 
couple  of  musket  shots  fired  ove*r  the  vessel,  for  the  purpose,  ap 
parently,  of  enforcing  the  order  to  bring  up  and  come  to  an 

feeling  of  enmity  against  them,  and  all  we  ask  is  to  be  let  alone — to  be 
allowed  to  tread  the  path  we  have  chosen  for  ourselves." — "  Cruise  of  the 
from  the  "Index"  May  1st,  1862. 


CRUISE   OF  THE  ALABAMA  AND  THE   SUMTER.         19* 

anchor.  The  command  having  been  obeyed,  a  boat  was  at  once 
despatched  in  charge  of  Lieutenant  Evans  to  call  on  the  Com 
mandant  and  ask  an  explanation  of  this  inhospitable  reception. 
The  message  was  brought  back,  that  the  flag  of  the  new  Con- 
federacy  had  not  been  understood  by  him,  and  that  the  vessel  had 
consequently  been  brought  up  in  compliance  with  the  standing 
order  that  no  vessel,  whether  of  war  or  otherwise,  should  be  per 
mitted  to  pass  until  her  nationality  had  been  ascertained.  Ex 
planations,  of  course,  followed,  and  in  the  evening  came  the 
Commandant,  with  the  Governor's  permission  either  to  land  or  go 
to  sea,  but  accompanied  by  an  intimation  that  the  six  prizes  would 
be  detained  until  instructions  could  be  received  from  head 
quarters  concerning  them. 

Lieutenant  Chapman  was  now  sent  on  shore  with  the  following 
despatch  for  the  Governor,  and  also  to  make  arrangements  for 
coaling  and  for  the  safety  and  ultimate  disposition  of  the  prizes : 

C.  S.  Sumter.  Cienfiiegos,  Island  of  Cuba, 
July  6th,  1861. 

SIR, — I  have  the  honour  to  inform  your  Excellency  of  my 
arrival  at  the  Port  of  Cienfuegos  with  seven  prizes  of  war.  These 
vessels  are  the  brigantines  Cuba,  Machias,  Ben  Dunning,  Albert 
Adams  and  Naiad ;  and  barques  West  Wind  and  Louisa  Kilham, 
property  of  citizens  of  the  United  States,  which  States,  as  your 
Excellency  is  aware,  are  waging  an  unjust  and  aggressive  war  upon 
the  Confederate  States,  which  I  have  the  honour,  with  this  ship 
under  my  command,  to  represent.  I  have  sought  a  port  of  Cuba 
with  these  prizes,  with  the  expectation  that  Spain  will  extend  to 
cruisers  of  the  Confederate  States  the  same  friendly  reception  that 
in  similar  circumstances  she  would  extend  to*  the  cruisers  of  the 
enemy ;  in  other  words,  that  she  will  permit  me  to  leave  the 
captured  vessels  within  her  jurisdiction  until  they  can  be  adjudi 
cated  by  a  Court  of  Admiralty  of  the  Confederate  States.  As  a 
people  maintaining  a  Government  de  facto,  and  not  only  holding 
the  enemy  in  check,  but  gaining  advantages  over  him,  we  are 
entitled  to  all  the  rights  of  belligerents,  and  I  confidently  rely 
upon  the  friendly  disposition  of  Spain,  who  is  our  near  neighbour 
in  the  most  important  of  her  colonial  possessions,  to  receive  us 
with  equal  and  even-handed  justice,  if  not  with  the  sympathy^ 
which  our  unity  of  interest  and  policy,  with  regard  to  an  important 
social  and  industrial  institution,  are  so  well  calculated  to  inspire.  ' 
A  rule  which  would  exclude  our  prizes  from  her  ports  during  the 
war,  although  it  should  be  applied  in  terms  equally  to  the  enemy, 
would  not,  I  respectfully  suggest,  be  an  equitable  or  just  rule. 


20    CRUISE  OF  THE  ALABAMA  AND  THE  SUMTER. 

The  basis  of  such  a  rule,  as,  indeed,  of  all  the  conduct  of  a  neutral 
during  war,  is  equal  and  impartial  justice  to  all  the  belligerents; 
and  this  should  be  a  substantial  and  practical  justice,  and  not  exist 
in  delusive  or  deceptive  terms  merely.  Now,  a  little  reflection 
•will,  I  think,  show  your  Excellency  that  the  rule  in  question  can 
not  be  applied  in  the  present  war  without  operating  with  great 
injustice  to  the  Confederate  States.  It  is  well  known  to  your  Ex 
cellency  that  the  United  States  being  a  manufacturing  and  com 
mercial  people,  whilst  the  Confederate  States  have  been  thus  far 
almost  wholly  an  agricultural  and  planting  people,  the  former 
had  within  their  limits  and  control  almost  the  whole  naval  force 
of  the  old  Government,  and  that  they  have  seized  and  appro 
priated  this  force  to  themselves,  regardless  of  the  just  claims  of 
the  Confederates  States  to  a  portion,  and  a  large  portion  of  it,  as 
tax-payers  out  of  whose  contributions  it  was  created.  The  United 
States  are  thus  enabled  to  blockade  all  the  important  ports  of  the 
Confederate  States.  In  this  condition  of  things,  observe  the  prac 
tical  working  of  the  rule  which  I  am  discusssing. 

It  must  be  admitted  that  we  have  equal  belligerent  rights  with 
the  enemy. 

One  of  the  most  important  of  these  rights  in  a  war  against  a 
commercial  people,  is  that  which  I  have  just  exercised,  of  captur 
ing  his  property  upon  the  high  seas.  But  how  are  the  Confederate 
States  to  enjoy  to  its  full  extent  the  benefit  of  this  right,  if  their 
cruisers  are  not  permitted  to  enter  neutral  ports  with  their  prizes, 
and  retain  them  there  in  safe  custody  until  they  can  be  condemned 
and  disposed  of? 

They  cannot  send  them  to  their  own  ports  for  the  reasons  already 
stated.  Except  for^the  purpose  of  destruction,  therefore,  their 
right  of  capture  would  be  entirely  defeated  by  the  adoption  of  the 
rule  in  question,  whilst  the  enemy  would  suffer  no  inconvenience 
from  it,  as  all  his  ports  are  open  to  him.  I  take  it  for  granted 
that  Spain  will  not  think  of  acting  upon  so  unjust  and  unequal 
a  rule. 

But  another  question  arises,  indeed  has  already  arisen,  in  the 
cases  of  some  of  the  very  captures  which  I  have  brought  into 
port.  The  cargoes  of  several  of  the  vessels  are  claimed,  as  appears 
by  certificates  found  among  the  papers,  as  Spanish  property. 

This  fact  cannot  of  course  be  verified,  except  by  a  judicial  pro 
ceeding  in  the  Prize  Courts  of  the  Confederate  States. 

But  whilst  this  fact  is  being  determined,  what  is  to  be  done 
with  the  property  ?  I  have  the  right  to  destroy  the  vessels,  but 
not  the  cargoes,  in  case  the  latter  should  prove  to  be,  as  claimed, 
Spanish  property — but  how  am  I  to  destroy  the  former,  and  not 


CRUISE   OF  THE  ALABAMA  AND  THE   SUMTEB.         21 

the  latter?  I  cannot  before  sentence  unlade  the  cargoes  and  de 
liver  them  to  the  claimants,  for  I  do  not  know  that  the  claims  will 
b.e  sustained ;  and  I  cannot  destroy  them,  for  I  do  not  know  that 
the  claims  will  not  be  sustained. 

Indeed,  one  of  the  motives  which  influenced  me  in  seeking  a 
Spanish  port,  was  the  fact  that  these  cargoes  were  claimed  by 
Spanish  subjects,  whom  I  was  desirous  of  putting  to  as  little  in- 
conveniejice  as  possible  in  the  unlading  and  reception  of  their 
property,  after  sentence,  should  it  be  restored  to  them. 

It  will  be  for  your  Excellency  to  consider  and  act  upon  these 
grave  questions,  touching  alike  the  interests  of  both  our  Go 
vernments. 

I  have  the  honour  to  be,  <fec.,  <fec., 

R.  SEMMES. 

His  Excellency  Don  Joso  de  la  Pozuela, 

Governor  of  the  City  of  (Jienfuegos,  Island  of  Cuba. 

At  eight  o'clock  on  the  morning  of  the  7th  July,  Lieutenant 
Chapman  returned,  bringing  with  him  Don  Isnaga  and  Don  Ma 
riano  Dias,  two  Cuban  gentlemen,  warm  sympathizers  with  the 
Confederate  cause.  The  latter  of  these  gentlemen  was  at  once 
appointed  prize  agent,  and  after  partaking  of  the  hospitality  of 
the  ship,  they  returned  to  shore,  and  the  remainder  of  the  day 
was  spent  on  board  the  Sumter  in  replenishing  the  various  stores 
that  had  begun  to  run  low  after  her  cruise.  In  the  course  of  the 
day  about  100  tons  of  coal  and  5000  gallons  of  water  were 
shipped,  besides  a  quantity  of  fresh  provisions  for  the  crew ;  and 
at  about  10  P.M.  an  answer  arrived  from  the  Governor  to  the 
despatch  sent  on  shore  the  previous  evening  by  Lieutenant 
Chapman. 

It  stated  that  the  Captain-General  of  Cuba  had  given  instruc 
tions  as  follows : — 

1.  No  cruiser  of  either  party  can  bring  their  prizes  into  Spa 
nish  ports. 

2.  If  in  any  captures  the  territory  of  Cuba  has  been  violated, 
the  Spanish  courts  will  themselves  judge  of  the  matter. 

3.  Any  prizes  will  be  detained  until  instructions  can  be  had 
from  the  Queen. 

These  points  being  ascertained,  the  prizes  already  at  anchor 
were  left  to  the  care  of  the  prize  agent,  Don  Dias,  and  at  about 
midnight  the  Sumter  hove  up  her  anchor  and  again  proceeded  to 
sea.  Nothing  had  as  yet  been  seen  of  the  prize  brig  Cuba,  which 
had  been  left  in  charge  of  a  prize  crew  a  day  or  two  before,  nor, 


i$         CRUISE   OF  THE  ALABAMA  AND  THE  SUMTER. 

indeed,  did  she  ever  arrive  at  the  rendezvous,  being  re-captured  by 
the  enemy,  and  carried  off  to  the  United  States. 

Shortly  after  leaving  Cienfuegos,  a  sail  was  descried  in  the 
offing,  which,  however,  on  being  overhauled,  proved  to  be  only  a 
Spanish  brig,  and  the  Sumter  accordingly  kept  on  her  course, 
between  9*  and  10  P.M.  passing  the  Cayman  Islets,  which,  Captain 
Semmes  remarks  in  his  journal,  are  laid  down  some  fifteen  or 
sixteen  miles  to  the  westward  of  their  real  position.  Daylight  of 
the  9th  July  found  the  little  Sumter  struggling  against  a  strong 
trade  wind  and  heavy  sea,  off  the  western  end  of  Jamaica,  the 
blue  mountains  of  which  picturesque  island  remained  in  sight 
during  the  entire  day. 

At  this  period  an  accident  occurred  which  for  some  time  de 
prived  the  Sumter  of  the  active  supervision  of  her  commander. 
Always  of  delicate  constitution,  and  ill-fitted  for  the  rough  part 
he  had  now  to  play,  he  had  lately  been  still  further  weakened  by 
illness ;  and  on  mounting  the  companion-ladder,  for  the  purpose 
of  desiring  that  the  vessel  might  not  be  driven  at  so  high  a  speed 
against  the  heavy  head-sea,  a  sudden  giddiness  came  over  him, 
and  after  leaning  for  a  few  moments  with  his  head  upon  his  arm, 
altogether  lost  consciousness,  and  fell  heavily  backwards  down  the 
companion  to  the  cabin  floor,  where  he  lay  for  some  time  in  a 
state  of  insensibility.  The  result  of  this  fall  was  some  very  seri 
ous  bruises,  with  a  difficulty  in  breathing,  which  for  some  days 
kept  him  confined  to  his  hammock.  At  this  time,  however,  the 
Sumter  was  quite  out  of  the  ordinary  track  of  commerce,  and  was 
labouring  slowly  through  a  heavy  sea  against  the  steady  and  tena 
cious  trade-wind  at  the  rate  of  little  more  than  five  knots  an  hour, 
making  terrible  inroads  upon  the  small  supply  of  coal  which  was 
so  precious  to  her. 

The  13th  July  found  the  trade-wind  increased  to  a  regular  gale, 
the  Sumter  making  literally  no  way  at  all  against  the  heavy  head- 
sea.  In  this  state  of  affairs  it  was  found  necessary  to  abandon  the 
previous  intention  of  making  for  Barbados,  as  there  was  not  suffi 
cient  coal  on  board  to  last  the  distance.  This  project,  therefore, 
was  given  up,  the  vessel's  head  turned  from  the  sea,  the  fires  let 
down,  the  ship  got  under  sail,  aud  a  new  course  shaped  for  Cura- 
§ao.  Here  it  was  hoped  that  a  fresh  supply  of  coal  might  be  ob 
tained,  and  the  little  Sumter  staggered  along  under  a  press  of  can 
vas  towards  her  new  destination,  the  violent  motion  causing  great 
distress  to  the  captain,  who  was  still  confined  to  his  cabin,  and 
almost  entirely  to  his  hammock. 

On  the  15th  July,  the  weather  moderated  for  a  time,  and  a 
warm  sunny  afternoon,  with  comparatively  little  sea,  gave  an  inter- 


CRUISE  OF   THE  ALABAMA  AND  THE  SUMMER.         23* 

val  of  rest.  The  next  morning  saw  the  wind  again  blowing  freshly, 
but  at  9  A.M.  land  was  seen  on  the  starboard  bow,  and  at  four  in 
the  afternoon  the  Sumter  passed  the  north  end  of  the  island  of 
Curasao,  running  down  the  coast  to  within  about  a  mile  of  St. 
Anne's,  where  she  arrived  at  a  little  after  seven  o'clock.  A  gun 
was  fired  as  a  signal  for  a  pilot,  and  soon  after  one  came  off,  pro 
mising  to  return  again  in  the  morning,  and  carry  the  vessel  into 
harbour. 

Morning  came,  and,  true  to  his  word,  the  pilot  once  more  made 
his  appearance  upon  deck.  But  the  remainder  of  his  promise  he 
was  unable  to  fulfil.  "  The  Governor  regrets,"  he  said,  in  reply  to 
Captain  Semmes'  inquiries,  "  that  he  cannot  permit  you  to  enter, 
he  having  received  express  orders  to  that  effect."  A  little  diplo 
macy,  however,  soon  removed  the  difficulty,  which  had  arisen  from 
the  urgent  representations  of  the  United  States  consul  on  the  pre 
vious  evening,  aided,  no  doubt,  by  'a  defective  description  of  the 
vessel  from  the  pilot.  Lieutenant  Chapman  was  sent  on  shore  with 
the  following  letter  to  the  Governor  :  — 


C.  8.  steamer  Sumter,  off  St.  Anne's, 
Curacao,  July  17th,  1881. 

His  EXCELLENCY  GOVERNOR  CROL  : 

SIR,  —  I  was  surprised  to  receive  by  the  pilot  this  morning  a 
message  from  your  Excellency  to  the  effect,  that  this  ship  could 
not  be  permitted  to  enter  the  harbour  unless  she  was  in  distress,  as 
your  Excellency  had  received  orders  from  your  Government  not 
to  admit  vessels  of  war  of  the  Confederate  States  of  America  to 
the  hospitality  of  the  ports  under  your  Excellency's  command.  I 
must  respectfully  suggest  that  there  must  be  some  mistake  here, 
and  I  have  sent  to  you  the  bearer,  Lieut.  Chapman,  C.  S.  Navy, 
for  the  purpose  of  an  explanation.  Your  Excellency  must  be  under 
some  misapprehension  as  to  the  character  of  this  vessel.  She  is 
a  ship  of  war,  duly  commissioned  by  the  Government  of  the  Con 
federate  States,  which  States  have  been  recognised  as  belligerents 
in  the  present  war  by  all  the  leading  Powers  of  Europe  —  viz.,  Great 
Britain,  France,  Spain,  <fcc.,  as  your  Excellency  must  be  aware.  It 
is  true  that  these  Powers  have  prohibited  both  belligerents  from 
bringing  prizes  into  their  several  jurisdictions,  but  no  one  of  them 
has  made  a  distinction  either  between  the  prizes  or  the  cruisers 
themsel  ves  of  the  belligerents,the  cruisers  of  both  Governments  being 
admitted  to  the  hospitalities  of  the  ports  of  all  these  great  Powers 
on  terms  of  perfect  equality.  Am  I  to  understand  from  your 
Excellency  that  Holland  has  adopted  a  different  rule,  and  that  she 
not  only  excludes  the  prizes,  but  the  ships  of  war  themselves  of 


24         CKUiSE   OF  THE  ALABAMA  AND  THE  SUMTEK. 

the  Confederate  States,  and  this  at  the  same  time  that  she  admits 
the  cruisers  of  the  United  States,  thus  departing  from  her  neutra'- 
ity  in  this  war,  ignoring  the  Confederate  States  as  belligerents, 
and  aiding  and  assisting  their  enemy  ?  If  this  be  the  position 
which  Holland  has  assumed  in  this  contest,  I  pray  your  Excel 
lency  to  be  kind  enough  to  say  as  much  to  me  in  writing. 
I  have  the  honour  to  be,  &c.,  &c. 

(Signed)  R.  SEMMES. 

Governor  Crol,  St.  Anne's,  Curasao. 

This  explanation  removed  all  difficulties,  and  by  11  A.M.  the 
requisite  permission  had  been  obtained,  and  the  Sumter  was  safely 
at  anchor  in  the  lagoon. 

Here  she  lay  for  some  days,  surrounded  by  bum-boats  filled 
with  picturesque  natives  of  all  colours,  chattering  like  parrots,  and 
almost  as  gandy  in  their  plumage.  Meanwhile  the  crew  were 
hard  at  work  replenishing  the  coal-bunkers,  filling  up  wood  and 
water,  taking  in  fresh  provisions,  and  effecting  the  necessary 
repairs  after  the  late  cruise.  While  thus  employed,  a  visit  was 
received  from  a  Venezuelan,  who  in  very  good  English  repre 
sented  himself  as  a  messenger  or  agent  of  President  Castro,  now 
in  exile  at  Cura9ao  with  four  of  his  cabinet  ministers.  This  emis 
sary's  object  was  to  negotiate  a  passage  in  the  Sumter  for  Don 
Castro  and  some  twenty  of  his  officers,  with  arms,  ammunition, 
<fcc.,  to  the  mainland  opposite.  This  proposition,  however,  Cap 
tain  Semmes  politely  but  very  promptly  declined,  on  the  grounds, 
firstly,  that  he  was  not  going  in  the  direction  indicated  ;  and 
secondly,  that  if  he  were,  it  would  be  an  undue  interference  on  the 
part  of  a  neutral  with  the  revolutionary  parties  now  contending 
for  the  control  of  Venezuela. 

"It  was  remarked,"  he  writes,  "that  Castro  was  the  de  jure 
President;"  to  which  I  replied,  "that  we  did  not  look  into  these 
matters,  the  opposite  party  being  in  de  facto  possession  of  the 
government." 

At  Cura9ao  the  Sumter  remained  until  the  24th  July,  coaling-, 
refitting,  provisioning,  and  allowing  each  of  her  crew  in  turn  a 
short  run  on  shore,  to  recruit  his  spirits  and  get  rid  of  his  super 
fluous  cash.  At  noon  on  the  24th  she  was  once  more  under  way, 
leaving  behind  her,  however,  one  of  her  seamen,  a  worthless  fellow 
of  the  name  of  John  Orr,  who,  enticed  away,  as  was  suspected,  by 
a  Yankee  captain  and  the  Yankee  keeper  of  a  public-house,  took 
the  opportunity  to  make  his  escape  from  the  ship.  The  loss, 
however,  was  not  of  importance  ;  and  after  one  or  two  slight 
attempts  to  trace  him,  the  Sumter  stood  out  of  the  harbour  and 
shaped  her  course  U/wards  Venezuela. 


CRUISE  OF  THE  ALABAMA  AND  THE  SUMTER.         25 

Daybreak  of  the  25th  July  again  presented  to  the  eager  eyes  on 
board  of  the  Sumter  the  welcome  apparition  of  a  sail.  Chase  was 
immediately  given,  and  at  half-past  six  the  Abby  Bradford,  from 
New  York  to  Puerto  Caballo,  was  duly  seized  and  taken  in  tow, 
her  Captain  proceeding  with  her  upon  her  original  course  towards 
Puerto  Caballo.  It  was  late  before  that  place  was  reached,  and 
the  night  was  spent  standing  off  and  on  outside  the  harbour. 
With  the  return  of  day,  however,  the  Sumter  ran  once  more  along 
the  shore ;  and,  without  waiting  for  a  pilot,  steered  boldly  past 
the  group  of  small,  bold-looking  islands,  and  dropped  her  anchor 
in  the  port. 

No  sooner  was  the  anchor  down  than  the  following  letter  was 
despatched  to  the  Governor,  asking  permission  to  leave  the  prize 
until  adjudication : — 

C.  8.  steamer  Sumter.  Puerto  Caballo, 
July  26th,  1861. 

SIR, — I  have  the  honour  to  inform  your  Excellency  of  my  arri 
val  at  this  port  in  this  ship,  under  my  command,  and  with  the 
prize  schooner  Abby  Bradford,  captured  by  me  about  seventy 
miles  to  the  northward  and  eastward.  The  Abby  Bradford  is  the 
property  of  citizens  of  the  United  States,  with  which  States,  as 
your  Excellency  is  aware,  the  Confederate  States,  which  I  have 
the  honour  to  represent,  are  at  war;  and  the  cargo  would  appear 
to  belong  also  to  citizens  of  the  United  States,  who  have  shipped 
it  on  consignment  to  a  house  in  Puerto  Caballo.  Should  any 
claim  be  given,  however,  for  the  cargo,  or  any  part  of  it,  the  ques 
tion  of  ownership  can  only  be  decided  by  the  Prize  Courts  of  the 
Confederate  States.  In  the  meantime,  I  have  the  honour  to  re 
quest  that  your  Excellency  will  permit  me  to  leave  this  prize  ves 
sel  with  her  cargo  in  the  port  of  Puerto  Caballo,  until  the  ques 
tion  of  prize  can  be  adjudicated  by  the  proper  tribunals  of  my 
country.  This  will  be  a  convenience  to  all  parties,  as  well  to 
any  citizen  of  Venezuela  who  may  have  an  interest  in  the  cargo, 
as  to  the  captors,  who  have  also  valuable  interests  to  protect. 

In  making  this  reqrest,  I  do  not  propose  that  the  Venezuelan 
Government  shall  depart  from  a  strict  neutrality  between  the  bel 
ligerents  ;  as  the  samo  rule  it  applies  to  us,  it  can  give  the  other 
party  the  benefit  of,  also.  In  other  words,  with  the  most  scrupu 
lous  regard  for  the  neutrality,  she  may  admit  both  belligerents  to 
bring  their  prizes  into  her  waters ;  and  of  this  neither  belligerent 
can  complain,  since  whatever  favour  is  extended  to  its  enemy  i8 
extended  also  to  itself. 

I  have  an  additional  and  cogent  reason  for  making  this  request, 
and  that  is,  that  the  rule  of  exclusion,  although  it  might  be  applied 

2 


26    CRUISE  OF  THE  ALABAMA  AND  THE  SUMTER. 

in  terms  to  both  belligerents,  would  not  operate  equally  and  justly 
upon  them  both.  It  is  well  known  to  your  Excellency  that  the 
Northern  United  States  (which  are  now  making  an  aggressive  and 
unjust  war  upon  the  Confederate  States,  denying  to  the  latter  the 
right  of  self-government,  which  is  fundamental  in  all  republics,  and 
invading  their  territories  for  the  purpose  of  subjugation)  are  manu 
facturing  and  commercial  states,  whilst  the  Confederate  States 
have  been  thus  far  agricultural  and  planting  states ;  and  that,  as  a 
consequence  of  this  difference  of  pursuits,  the  former  States  had  in 
their  possession  at  the  commencement  of  this  war  almost  all  the 
naval  force  of  the  old  Government,  which  they  have  not  hesitated 
to  seize  and  appropriate  to  their  own  use,  although  a  large  propor 
tion  of  it  belonged  of  right  to  the  Confederate  States,  which  had 
been  taxed  to  create  it. 

By  means  of  this  naval  force,  dishonestly  seized  as  aforesaid,  the 
enemy  has  been  enabled  to  blockade  all  the  important  ports  of  the 
Confederate  States. 

This  blockade  necessarily  shuts  out  the  cruisers  of  the  Confede 
rate  States  from  their  own  ports,  and  if  foreign  Powers  shut  them 
out  also,  they  can  make  no  other  use  of  their  prizes  than  to  de 
stroy  them.  Thus  your  Excellency  sees  that,  under  the  rule  of 
exclusion,  .the  enemy  could  enjoy  his  right  of  capture  to  its  full 
extent,  his  own  ports  being  all  open  to  him,  whilst  the  cruisers  of  the 
Confederate  States  could  enjoy  it  sub  modo  only,  that  is,  for  the 
purpose  of  destruction.  A  rule  which  would  produce  such  effects 
as  this  is  not  an  equal  or  a  just  rule  (although  it  might  in  terms  be 
extended  to  both  parties)  ;  and  as  equality  and  justice  are  of  the 
essence  of  neutrality,  I  take  it  for  granted  that  Venezuela  will  not 
adopt  it. 

On  the  other  hand,  the  rule  admitting  both  parties  alike,  with 
their  prizes,  into  your  ports,  until  the  Prize  Courts  of  the  respec 
tive  countries  can  have  time  to  adjudicate  the  cases  as  they  arrive, 
would  work  equal  and  exact  justice  to  both ;  and  this  is  no  more 
than  the  Confederate  States  demand. 

With  reference  to  the  present  case,  as  the  cargo  consists  chiefly 
of  provisions  which  are  perishable,  I  would  ask  leave  to  sell  them 
at  public  auction  for  the  benefit  of"  whom  it  may  concern,"  depo 
siting  the  proceeds  with  a  suitable  prize  agent  until  the  decision  of 
the  court  can  be  known.  With  regard  to  the  vessel,  I  request 
that  she  may  remain  in  the  custody  of  the  same  agent  until  con 
demned  and  sold. 

I  have  the  honour  to  be,  <fec.,  <fec. 

(Signed)  R.  SEMMES. 

His  Excellency  the  Governor  and  Military  Commander 
of  Puerto  Cnballo. 


CRUISE   OF   THE   ALABAMA  AND   THE   SUMTER.          27 

To  this,  however,  that  functionary  could  not  be  induced  to 
assent,  his  reply  being  that  such  a  proposition  was  altogether  be 
yond  his  province  to  entertain,  and  that  the  Sumter  must  take  her 
departure  within  four-arid- twenty  hours.  At  daylight,  therefore, 
on  the  27th,  a  prize  crew  was  sent  on  board  of  the  Abby  Bradford, 
with  orders  to  proceed  to  New  Orleans,  and  at  six  o'clock  the 
Sumter  was  again  outside  of  the  inhospitable  port  of  Puerto  Caballo. 

The  anchor  was  not  fairly  at  the  cathead  when  a  sail  was  re 
ported  seaward,  which  on  capture  proved  to  be  the  barque  Joseph 
Maxwell,  of  Philadelphia.  The  capture  having  taken  place  at 
about  seven  miles  from  the  port  to  which  she  was  bound,  and  half 
of  the  cargo  being  the  property  of  a  neutral  owner,  a  boat  was  de 
spatched  with  her  master  and  the  paymaster  of  the  Sumter  to  en 
deavour  to  effect  negotiation.  The  proposition  was,  that  the  owner 
of  the  neutral  half  of  the  cargo  should  purchase  at  a  small  price 
the  remaining  half  and  the  vessel  herself,"' which  should  then  be 
delivered  to  him  intact  without  delay.  This  little  arrangement, 
however,  was  somewhat  summarily  arrested  by  the  action  of  the 
Governor,  who,  much  to  Captain  Semmes*  astonishment,  sent  off 
orders  that  the  prize  should  at  once  be  brought  into  port,  there  to 
remain  in  his  Excellency's  custody,  until  a  Venezuelan  court 
should  have  decided  whether  the  capture  had  or  had  not  been 
effected  within  the  marine  league  from  the  coast  prescribed  by  in 
ternational  law  ! 

This  somewhat  extraordinary  demand  did  not  receive  the  re 
spect  or  obedience  on  which  its  promulgator  had  doubtless  relied. 
Beating  to  quarters,  and  with  his  men  standing  to  their  guns  in  . 
readiness  for  instant  action,  the  Sumter  stood  out  once  more  towards 
her  prize;  sent  the  master  and  his  family  ashore  in  one  of  his  own 
boats,  put  a  prize  crew  on  board  the  Maxwell,  and  despatched  her 
to  a  port  at  the  south  side  of  Cuba.  It  is  believed  that  these  un 
friendly  demonstrations  on  the  part  of  the  Governor  of  Puerto 
Caballo  were  owing  to  a  fear  that  the  Sumter  was  in  truth  em 
ployed  upon  some  such  enterprise  as  that  on  which  the  agent  of 
Don  Castro  at  Curasao  had  vainly  endeavoured  to  engage  her,  and 
was  endeavouring  to  effect  a  landing  for  revolutionary  troops. 

The  Sumter  now  again  stood  away  upon  her  course  towards  the 
eastward,  and  at  five  in  the  evening  came  across  an  hermaphro 
dite  brig,  from  whose  peak  floated  the  hated  but  welcome  stars 
and  stripes.  This  time,  however,  it  was  able  to  wave  in  safe  defi 
ance  before  the  eyes  of  the  dreaded  foe,  for  the  sagacious  master 
had  kept  carefully  "  within  jumping  distance"  of  the  shore,  and 
the  sacred  "  marine  league  of  neutrality"  protected  the  vessel  from 
the  fate  that  had  befallen  so  many  of  her  countrymen. 


28    CRUISE  OF  THE  ALABAMA  AND  THE  SUMTER. 

The  afternoon  of  the  28th  July  found  the  Sumter  off  the  island 
of  Tortuga,  and  at  eleven  that  evening  the  ship  was  hove  to  in 
thirty-two  fathoms  of  water  off  the  eastern  end  of  Margaritta. 
Two  more  days'  run  along  the  Venezuelan  coast,  at  times  in  so 
dense  a  fog  that  it  was  necessary  to  run  within  a  mile  of  the  shore 
in  order  to  "  hold  on"  to  the  land,  and  the  Gulf  of  Bahia  was 
reached.  Following  close  on  the  track  of  a  vessel  just  arrived 
from  Madeira,  and  acquainted  with  the  harbour,  the  Sumter  held 
on  her  course  through  the  Huero  or  Umbrella  Passage,  and  shortly 
after  noon  anchored  off  the  town  of  Port  of  Spain,  receiving  as  she 
did  so  a  salute  from  the  ensign  of  an  English  brig  passing  out  of 
the  harbour. 


CHAPTER  IV. 

Excitement — Taking  the  bull  by  the  horns — official  visits — H.M.S.  Cad 
mus —  Captain  Semmes1  commission — At  sea  again — A  dull  time — 
Wind  and  current  hostile — Cayenne — French  politeness — False  hopes 
— At  Paramaribo — A  hotspurs uit — A  loyal  Yankee — Doubtful  secu 
rity — Not  to  be  beaten — To  sea  again — A  parting  arrow. 

THE  arrival  of  the  Sumter  at  Port  of  Spain  appeared  to  create  no 
small  excitement  among  the  inhabitants,  official  and  non-official, 
of  that  little  colony.  The  Governor  at  once  proceeded  to  take 
legal  opinion  as  to  the  propriety  of  permitting  the  suspicious  stran 
ger  to  coal,  and  a  long  leading  article  in  the  colonial  paper  gave 
expression  to  the  editor's  serious  doubts  whether  the  Sumter  were 
really  what  she  represented  herself  to  be,  a  regularly  commissioned 
vessel  of  war,  and  not,  after  all,  a  privateer.  The  legal  advisers 
of  the  Governor  seem  to  have  reported  favourably  on  Captain 
Semmes'  request,  for  permission  was  given  to  take  on  board  the 
requisite  supplies,  and  the  Smntcr's  coaling  proceeded,  though  not 
with  much  rapidity. 

The  morning  of  the  2nd  August  introduced  on  board  a  visitor 
of  a  new  description.  Through  the  heavy  tropical  rain  which  had 
been  pouring  almost  incessantly  since  the  arrival  of  the  Sumter, 
covering  the  calm  water  of  the  harbour  with  little  dancing  jets, 
and  drumming  on  the  steamer's  decks  the  most  unmusical  of  tat 
toos,  a  little  dingy  was  eeen  approaching,  and  in  due  time  brought 
alongside  of  the  Confederate  man-of-war  the  master  of  a  Baltimore 


CRUISE   OF  THE  ALABAMA  AND  THE  SUMTER.         29 

brig,  which  was  lying  at  anchor  some  little  distance  off.  The 
worthy  skipper  had  heard  of  the  terrible  doings  of  his  new  neigh- 
ho'ur,  and  in  no  little  anxiety  for  his  own  fate  had  determined  to 
take  the  bull  by  the  horns,  and  inquire  on  board  the  Sumter  her 
self  whether  he  would  be  permitted  to  depart  without  molestation. 
Great  was  the  poor  man's  delight  when  he  was  hailed  as  a  native 
of  a  sister  State,  and  informed  that  Maryland,  though  compelled 
by  superior  force  to  maintain  an  apparent  allegiance  to  her  enemy, 
was  still  considered  a  friend  by  her  natural  allies  of  the  South, 
and  that  strict  orders  had  therefore  been  given  to  let  her  commerce 
pass  unharmed.  With  a  lightened  heart  he  returned  on  board 
his  vessel,  and  the  Baltimore  brig  went  on  her  way  rejoicing. 

The  afternoon  of  the  same  day  brought  two  more  visitors  in 
the  persons  of  two  English  officers  in  mufti ;  but  the  international 
courtesy  did  not  extend  so  far  as  returning  the  official  visit  made 
on  Captain  Semmes'  behalf  by  Lieutenant  Chapman,  and  Govern 
ment-house  remained  unrepresented  on  board  the  Sumter.  "  His 
Excellency,"  it  is  to  be  feared,  had  taken  offence  at 'the  slight 
passed  upon  his  official  position  by  Captain  Semmes,  in  not  having 
taken  care  to  recover  his  health  and  strength  sufficiently  early  to 
be  able  to  make  the  official  visit  in  person  ! 

The  morning  of  the  4th  August  would  have  seen  the  Sumter 
again  under  way  but  for  some  informality  in  the  paymaster's 
vouchers,  which  had  to  be  rectified  ;  and  during  the  delay  thus 
occasioned,  H.M.  ship  Cadmus  entered  the  harbour,  and  the  Sum- 
ter's  departure  was  postponed  with  the  object  of  communicating 
with  her.  Accordingly,  a  lieutenant  was  sent  on  board  the  new- 
arrival,  the  visit  being  promptly  returned  by  an  officer  of  similar 
rank  from  the  Cadmus,  who,  after  exchanging  the  usual  civilities, 
delivered  himself  of  a  polite  message  from  Captain  Hillyer,  to  the 
effect,  that  as  the  Sumter  was  the  first  vessel  he  had  as  yet  fallen 
in  with  under  the  flag  of  the  Confederate  States,  he  would  be 
obliged  if  Captain  Semmes  would  favor  him  with  a  sight  of  his 
commission.  To  this,  of  course,  the  latter  had  no  objection ;  and 
the  demands  of  courtesy  having  been  satisfied  by  the  previous 
production  of  the  English  lieutenant's  commission,  that  of  Captain 
Semmes  was  duly  exhibited,  and  the  ceremonial  visitor  departed. 

The  next  morning  brought  Captain  Hillyer  himself  on  board, 
and  a  long  conversation  ensued  on  the  war  and  various  kindred 
topics,  the  English  Captain  leaving  behind  him  a  most  agreeable 
impression.  The  visit  over,  steam  was  once  more  got  up  on  board 
the  Sumter,  and  at  1  P.M.  she  steamed  out  through  the  eastern  or 
Mona  Island  passage,  and  running  down  the  picturesque  coast, 
with  its  mountain  sides  uncultivated  but  covered  with  numerous 


30         CRUISE   OF  THE  ALABAMA  AND  TUE  SUMTER. 

hnts,  passed  at  ten  o'clock  that  evening  between  Trinidad  and 
Tobago,  and  entered  once  more  upon  the  broad  North  Atlantic. 

For  some  days  the  time  now  hung  somewhat  heavily  upon  the 
hands  of  the  little  community.  A  solitary  brigantine  only  was 
seen,  and  she  so  far  to  windward,  that  with  the  short  supply  of 
coal  afforded  by  the  not  overscrupulous  merchants  of  Port  of  Spain, 
it  was  not  thought  worth  while  to  incur  the  expense  and  delay  of 
a  chase.  The  Sumter  was  now  terribly  in  need  of  an  excitement. 
Not  a  living  thing  was  in  sight,  but  the  glittering  schools  of  flying 
fish  which  ever  and  anon  darted  into  view,  and  skimming  rapidly 
over  their  surface  sank  again  beneath  the  waves,  only  to  be  once 
more  driven  for  a  brief  refuge  to  the  upper  air  by  their  unseen  but 
relentless  enemies  below.  Drill  and  exercise  were  now  the  order 
of  the  day  daring  the  hours  of  light,  and  as  the  sun  set  and  the 
tropic  night  came  rushing  swiftly  up  over  the  yet  glowing  sky, 
chessboards  and  backgammon-boards  were  brought  out,  and  dis 
cussions,  social,  political,  and  literary,  divided  the  long  hours  of 
inaction  with  the  yarn  and  the  song,  and  other  mild  but  not  inef 
fectual  distractions  of  life  at  sea. 

Still  it  was  with  feelings  of  no  small  satisfaction  that  "  green 
water"  was  again  reached,  and  the  Sumter  found  herself  within 
about  ninety  miles  of  the  (Dutch)  Guiana  coast.  Hopes  were 
now  entertained  of  soon  reaching  Maranham,  but  the  next  day 
showed  them  to  be  fallacious.  A  strong  northerly  current  had 
set  in,  and,  in  addition  to  this  drawback,  it  was  discovered  that 
the  defalcations  of  the  Port  of  Spain  coal  merchants  were  more 
serious  than  had  been  supposed,  and  there  was  not  sufficient  fuel 
left  for  the  run.  Next  day  matters  were  worse  rather  than  better. 
The  northerly  current  was  running  at  the  extraordinary  rate  of 
sixty  miles  in  the  twenty-four  hours,  a  speed  equal  to  that  of  the 
Gulf  Stream  in  its  narrowest  part.  Only  three  days'  fuel  remain 
ed,  and  making  allowance  for  the  northerly  set,  there  were  fully 
550  miles  to  be  accomplished  before  Maranham  could  be  reached. 

Still  the  Sumter  held  patiently  on  her  course  in  hopes  of  a 
change  ;  but  no  change  came.  Wind  and  current  were  as  hostile 
as  ever,  and  the  observations  of  the  llth  August  giving  lat. 
2°38'  N.,  long.  47°48'  W.,  the  question  of  the  voyage  to 
Maranham,  or  even  to  Para,  appeared  definitely  settled,  and  letting 
bis  fires  go  down,  Captain  Semmes  put  up  his  helm,  made  all 
sail,  and  stood  away  on  a  N.W.  course,  hoping  to  find  a  fresh 
supply  of  coal  at  some  of  the  ports  of  Guiana  under  his  lee. 

The  afternoon  of  that  day  saw  the  sky  clear,  the  sea  almost 
calm,  and  the  little  Sumter,  rolling  along  on  the  long,  lazy  swell, 
\\ith  all  her  starboard  studding-sails  set,  at  about  throe  or  four 


CRUISE   OF  THE  ALABAMA  A^D  THE  SUMTER.         31 

knots  an  hour,  towards  Cape  Orange,  from  which  point^it  was 
intended  to  make  her  way  into  Cayenne. 

Here  she  arrived  on  the  15th  August,  but  her  hopes  were 
again  doomed  to  disappointment.  On  coming  to  anchor,  officers 
were  at  once  despatched  with  the  usual  complimentary  messages 
to  the  Governor,  and  a  request  to  be  informed  whether  the  vessel 
could  be  supplied  with  coal.  These  officers,  however,  were  not 
permitted  to  land,  the  reason  given  being,  that  they  were  without 
a  clean  bill  of  health  from  their  last  port.  It  was  in  vain  to 
represent  the  perfect  state  of  health  of  the  crew,  and  the  length 
of  time  they  had  been  at  sea.  The  official  mind  was  closed 
against  any  argument  but  that  of  the  consigns.  Five  days' 
quarantine  were  ordered,  and  five  days'  quarantine  must  be  under 
gone,  before  the  salubrious  shores  of  Cayenne  could  be  exposed  to 
the  danger  of  infection  from  the  new  comers ;  and  as  the  author 
ities  accompanied  this  fiat  with  the  statement,  that  there  was  no 
coal  to  be  had  in  the  place  even  for  the  supply  of  their  own 
government  vessels,  our  captain  determined  to  make  no  further 
trial  upon  the  discussion,  but  to  seek  his  supplies  elsewhere. 

The  afternoon  of  the  next  day  brought  the  Sumter  to  the  coast 
of  (Dutch)  Guiana ;  but  there  being  no  pilot  to  be  found,  she 
was  compelled  to  come  to  an  anchor  in  about  four  fathoms  of 
water.  Here,  as  the  sun  set,  the  dark  smoke  of  a  steamer  was 
discovered  against  the  glowing  sky,  and  suspicion  was  at  once 
aroused  that  the  new  comer  must  be  a  Yankee  cruiser  on  the 
look-out  for  the  Confederate  "  pirates."  The  drums  beat  to 
quarters  on  board  of  the  little  Sumter ;  decks  were  cleared  for 
action ;  ports  were  triced  up,  guns  run  out,  and  every  preparation 
made  to  give  the  supposed  enemy  a  warm  reception.  Darkness 
had  closed  in  as  the  suspected  vessel  approached  ;  the  thump, 
thump,  thump  of  her  screw  sounding  plainly  on  the  still  night 
air.  Silently  she  approached  the  watchful  cruiser,  steering  com 
pletely  round  her  anchorage,  as  though  herself  suspicious  of  the 
character  of  her  new  companion.  No  hostile  demonstration, 
however,  followed  ;  the  night  was  too  dark  to  distinguish  friend 
from  foe;  and  the  strange  sail  having  come  to  anchor  at  some 
little  distance  from  the  Sumter,  and  evincing  no  disposition  to 
assume  the  offensive,  the  guns  were  run  in  again,  and  the  men 
were  at  length  dismissed  to  the  hammocks. 

Early  next  morning  steam  was  again  got  up  on  board  the 
Confederate  cruiser,  which  ran  down  under  French  colours  for 
a  closer  examination  of  the  stranger,  who  was  lying  quietly  at 
anchor  about  two  miles  in-shore  of  her.  As  the  Sumter  ap 
proached  she  also  mounted  the  tricolor,  at  the  sight  of  which  the 


32         CRUISE   OF  THE  ALABAMA  AND  THE  SUMTER. 

pretended  nationality  of  the  cruiser  was  laid  aside,  and  the  stars 
and  bars  flew  out  gaily  from  her  mizen-peak.  The  Frenchman 
appeared  much  pleased  at  having  thus  fallen  in  with  the  cele 
brated  Sumter;  and  being,  like  her,  bound  into  Paramaribo,  and 
of  considerably  lighter  draught,  invited  her  to  follow  him  into  the 
river,  where  a  pilot  might  be  obtained. 

Arrived  in  Paramaribo  the  Sumter  received  tidings  of  the 
United  States  steamer  Keystone  State,  which  had  been  "in 
pursuit"  of  her  for  some  time.  This  vessel  was  not  very  much 
larger  than  the  Sumter,  and  their  crews  and  armaments  were 
very  nearly  equal,  so  there  were  great  hopes  on  board  the  Con 
federate  of  a  brush  with  the  enemy  on  something  like  equal  terms. 
These  hopes,  however,  like  so  many  others,  were  doomed  to 
disappointment.  By  some  fatality  the  Keystone  State  could  never 
manage  to  come  up  with  her  quarry.  While  the  latter  had  been 
coaling  at  Trinidad,  she  was  performing  a  similar  operation  at 
Barbados,  arriving  thence  at  Trinidad  after  the  Sumter  had  sailed. 
From  this  port  she  again  started  "  in  pursuit,"  but  her  chances 
of  overtaking  her  enemy  may  perhaps  have  been  somewhat 
affected  by  the  fact,  that  on  learning  that  the  Sumter  had  started 
eastward,  she  at  once  followed  upon  a  westerly  track,  which, 
doubtless  to  the  great  grief  of  her  commander  and  crew,  somehow 
failed  to  bring  her  alongside  of  the  vessel  of  which  she  was  in 
search.* 

But  if  the  United  States  war  vessels  were  somewhat  eccentric 
in  their  notion  of  a  hot  pursuit,  it  must  be  admitted  that  the 
United  States  consuls  and  other  agents  on  shore  were  by  no 
means  equally  scrupulous.  Every  possible  expedient  to  prevent 
the  Sumter  from  obtaining  the  necessary  supplies  of  coal  was  tried 
by  the  consul  at  Paramaribo,  but  with  less  success  than  his  stre 
nuous  exertions  deserved.  His  first  idea  was  to  buy  up  all  the 
coal  in  the  port,  and  a  handsome  price  was  offered — in  bonds  on 
the  United  States  government — for  that  purpose.  But  with  sin 
gular  blindness  to  their  own  interests  the  merchants  of  Paramaribo 
declined  to  put  their  trust  in  these  bonds,  and  the  ready  money 
not  being  forthcoming  the  hopeful  scheme  was  compelled  to  be 
abandoned.  Undismayed  by  this  first  failure,  the  gallant  Yankee 

*  The  writer  of  the  Notes  in  the  Index  remarks  on  this  curious  proceed 
ing: — "Rather  a  strange  idea  we  thought.  It  put  us  in  mind  of  a  sports 
man  in  California  who  was  very  anxious  to  kill  a  grisly  bear.  At  length 
he  found  the  trail,  and  after  following  it  for  some  hours  gave  it  up  and 
returned  to  camp.  On  being  questioned  why  he  did  not  follow  in  pursuit, 
he  quietly  replied  that  the  trail  was  getting  too  fresh.  It  must  have  been  so 
with  the  Keystone  State—  the  trail  was  getting  too  fresh." 


CRUISE   OF  THE  ALABAMA  AND  THE  SUMTER.         33 

next  sought  to  charter  all  the  lighters  by  which  the  coal  could  be 
conveyed  on  board,  and  here  he  was  very  nearly  successful.  One 
or  two  of  the  owners  however  declined  to  be  bought  up,  and 
in  the  lighters  supplied  by  them  the  process  of  coaling  com 
menced.  Still  the  persevering  consul  was  not  to  be  beaten. 
Failing  the  owners  of  the  contumacious  barges,  their  crews  were 
yet  accessible  to  the  gentle  influences  at  his  command,  and  some 
forty  tons  of  coal  found  their  way  to  the  bottom  of  the  harbour, 
instead  of  to  the  Sumter's  bunkers  for  which  they  had  been  des 
tined. 

At  length,  however,  in  spite  of  both  active  Yankee  and  dilatory 
Dutchmen,  the  operation  was  completed,  and  the  little  Sumter 
once  more  ready  for  sea.  Even  now,  however,  she  was  not  to  get 
away  without  a  parting  arrow  from  her  indefatigable  enemy.  On 
the  morning  of  her  proposed  departure  the  captain's  negro  servant 
went  on  shore  as  usual  for  the  day's  marketing,  when  he  was  way 
laid  by  the  worthy  Yankee  and  persuaded  indefinitely  to  postpone 
his  return.  Poor  fellow !  if  his  fate  was  anything  like  that  of 
thousands  of  others  "  set  free"  by  their  so-called"friends  of  the 
North,  he  must  have  long  ere  this  most  bitterly  repented  his 
desertion. 

There  was  no  time,  however,  to  spare  for  searching  after  the 
runaway,  so  after  a  brief  conference  with  the  authorities,  who  were 
apparently  not  over  anxious  for  his  arrest,  the  Sumter  got  up  steam 
and  once  more  proceeded  in  the  direction  of  Maranham. 


CHAPTER  V. 

Leave  Paramaribo — Across  the  equator — A  day  of  misfortunes — On  a 
sandbank — A  narrow  escape — Maranham — A  Yankee  protest — Bold 
assertions — A  visit  to  the  President — News — False  alarms — Paying 
bills — A  patriot  —  Off"  again — A  prize — The  Joseph  Park — News  of 
Butt  Run — A  sad  birthday. 

A  WHOLE  month  had  thus  been  lost  through  the  failure  of  the 
Snmter's  coal  off  the  mouth  of  the  Amazon.  News,  too,  had  been 
received  at  Paramaribo  that  six  or  seven  large  fast  steamers  were 
in  hot  pursuit;  and  as  it  was  not  likely  that  all  of  these — the 
larger,  perhaps,  more  especially — would  adopt  the  tactics  of  the 
Keystone  State,  it  was  an  object  with  the  solitary  little  object  of 

2* 


34         CRUISE   OF  THE  ALABAMA  AND  THE  SUMTER. 

their  vengeance  to  make  the  best  of  her  way  to  some  safer  cruising 
ground. 

On  the  31st  August,  then,  she  took  her  final  leave  of  Parama 
ribo,  and  running  some  eight  or  nine  miles  off  the  coast  in  a 
northerly  direction  as  a  blind,  altered  her  course  to  east  half-south, 
with  the  intention  of  avoiding  the  current  by  which  she  had  on 
the  former  occasion  been  so  baffled,  by  keeping  along  the  coast 
in  soundings  where  its  strength  would  be  less  felt. 

The  4th  September  found  her  well  past  the  mouth  of  the  Ama 
zon,  bowling  along  under  all  fore-and-aft  sails,  with  bright,  clear 
weather,  and  a  fresh  trade-wind  from  about  east  by  south.  This 
was  about  her  best  point  of  sailing,  and  there  being  no  longer  any 
current  against  her,  her  log  showed  a  run  of  175  miles  in  the 
twenty-four  hours.  On  the  same  day  a  strange  sail  was  seen,  but 
time  and  coal  were  now  too  valuable  to  be  risked,  and  the  tempta 
tion  to  chase  was  resisted.  In  the  evening  the  equator  was  crossed, 
and  the  little  Sumter  bade  farewell  to  the  North  Atlantic,  and 
entered  on  a  new  sphere  of  operations. 

The  5th  September  was  a  day  of  misfortunes.  The  weather 
was  thick  and  lowering;  the  wind  rapidly  increasing  to  half  a 
gale,  and  the  little  vessel  straining  heavily  at  her  anchor.  In 
heaving  up,  a  sudden  jerk  broke  it  short  off  at  the  shank,  the 
metal  about  the  broken  part  proving  to  have  been  very  indifferent. 
She  now  ran  very  cautiously  and  anxiously  towards  the  light,  and 
into  the  bay,  no  pilot  being  in  sight.  For  some  time  all  went 
well,  and  the  chief  dangers  appeared  to  be  over,  when  suddenly 
the  vessel  ran  with  a  heavy  shock  upon  a  sandbank,  knocking  off 
a  large  portion  of  her  false  keel,  and  for  the  moment  occasioning 
intense  anxiety  to  all  on  board.  Fortunately,  however,  the  bank 
was  but  a  narrow  ridge,  and  the  next  sea  carried  the  little  vessel 
safely  across  it,  and  out  of  danger.  Much  speculation,  however, 
was  excited  by  this  unlooked-for  mishap,  but  a  careful  examination 
of  the  ship's  position  on  the  chart  failed  to  elucidate  the  mystery  i 
the  part  of  the  bay  where  the  Sumter  had  struck  being  marked 
as  clear  ground.  It  was  fortunate,  at  all  events,  that  the  vessel 
escaped  clear,  for  within  the  next  hour  and  a  half  the  tide  fell 
five  feet,  which  with  so  heavy  a  load  as  that  on  board  the  Sumter 
could  not  but  have  occasioned  a  terrible  strain  had  she  been  lying 
on  the  top  of  the  bank. 

Finding  the  soundings  still  so  irregular  as  to  threaten  further 
danger,  the  Sumter  now  came  t£  an  anchor,  and  some  fishing 
boats  being  perceived  on  the  shore  at  a  little  distance,  a  boat  was 
despatched  which  speedily  returned  with  a  fisherman,  who  piloted 
her  safely  to  the  town  of  Maranham.  She  was  visited  by  a  Bra- 


CRUISE   OF  THE  ALABAMA  AND  THE  SUMTER.         35 

zilian  naval  officer,  who  congratulated  her  captain  not  a  little  on 
his  fortunate  escape,  the  Brazilian  men-of  war  never  thinking  of 
attempting  the  passage  without  a  coast  pliot. 

The  day  following  that  on  which  the  Sumter  arrived  at  Maran- 
ham  was  the  Brazilian  Independence  Day.  The  town  put  on  its 
gayest  appearance  ;  men-of-war  and  merchantmen  tricked  them 
selves  out  with  flags  from  deck  to  truck,  while  the  guns  of  the 
former  thundered  a  salute  across  the  ordinarily  quiet  bay.  Amidst 
their  universal  demonstration  the  Sumter  alone  remained  unmoved. 
The  nation  whose  flag  she  bore  had  not  yet  been  recognised  by 
the  Brazilian  government,  and  it  would  therefore  have  been  the 
height  of  incongruity  to  sport  the  slightest  bunting  on  such  an 
occasion.  The  more  so  as  the  good  folks  of  Maranham,  though 
to  all  appearance  personally  well  disposed  towards  the  Confede 
rates,  were  in  such  dread  of  officially  committing  themselves,  that 
they  did  not  venture  to  invite  the  officers  of  the  newly-arrived 
vessel  to  the  grand  ball  given  by  the  authorities  in  honour  of  the 
day. 

On  Monday,  the  9th  September,  Captain  Semmes  took  up  his 
quarters  on  shore,  and  proceeded  to  make  a  formal  call  on  the 
President  of  the  Department.  That  functionary,  however,  plead 
ed  indisposition,  appointing  the  hour  of  noon  on  the  following  day 
for  the  desired  interview.  Meanwhile  Captain  Semmes  had  hardly 
returned  to  his  comfortable  quarters  at  the  Hotel  do  Porto,  ere  he, 
in  his  turn,  received  a  visit  from  Captain  Pinto  of  the  Brazilian 
navy,  and  the  Chief  of  Police,  a  confidential  friend  of  the  Presi 
dent — the  object  of  these  gentlemen  being  to  read  to  him  a  formal 
protest  from  the  consul  of  the  United  States  to  the  government, 
against  the  Sumter's  being  permitted  to  receive  coal  or  other  sup 
plies  in  the  port.  Amongst  other  equally  bold  statements  this 
document  asserted  that  the  Confederate  cruiser  had  not  been  per 
mitted  to  enter  the  ports  of  any  other  European  power.  Asser 
tions  like  these  were  of  course  easily  disposed  of,  and  it  was  agreed 
that  the  question  should* be  discussed  at  the  morrow's  interview. 
The  account  of  this  discussion  had,  perhaps,  better  be  given  in 
Captain  Semmes'  own  words  : — 

Tuesday,  September  llth. — Called  upon  the  President  at  twelve, 
and  was  admitted  to  an  interview ;  the  Chief  of  Police  and  Cap 
tain  Pinto  being  present.  I  exhibited  to  the  President  my  com 
mission,  and  read  to  him  a  portion  of  my  instructions,  to  show  him 
that  it  was  the  desire  of  the  Confederate  States  to  cultivate  friendly 
relations  with  other  powers,  and  to  pay  particular  respect  to  neu 
tral  property  and  rights ;  and  the  better  to  satisfy  him  that  he 
might  supply  me  with  coal  without  a  departure  from  neutrality, 


36         CRUISE  OF  THE  ALABAMA  AND  TIIE  SUMTEK. 

and  to  contradict  the  false  sentiments  of  the  United  States  Con 
sul,  I  exhibited  to  him  a  newspaper  from  Trinidad,  setting  forth 
the  fact  that  the  question  of  the  propriety  of  supplying  me  with 
coal  in  that  island,  had  been  formally  submitted  to  the  law  officers 
of  the  Crown,  and  decided  in  my  favour,  &c. 

The  President  then  announced  to  me  that  I  might  purchase 
whatever  supplies  I  wanted,  coal  included,  munitions  of  war  only 
excepted.  I  then  stated  to  him  that  this  war  was  in  fact  a  war  as 
much  in  behalf  of  Brazil  as  of  ourselves,  and  that  if  we  were 
beaten  in  the  contest,  Brazil  would  be  the  next  one  to  be  assailed 
by  Yankee  propagandists.  These  remarks  were  favourably  re 
ceived,  the  three  gentlemen  evidently  sympathizing  with  us. 

Captain  Semmes  continues  his  short  diary  as  follows : — 

Fresh  wind  and  cloudy.  Painting  ship,  and  making  prepara 
tions  for  the  reception  of  coal.  We  are  looking  anxiously  for  the 
arrival  of  the  Rio  mail  steamer,  as  we  have  a  report  brought  by  a 
Portuguese  vessel  from  Pernambuco  that  a  great  battle  has  been 
fought ;  that  we  have  beaten  the  enemy ;  and  that  we  have 
marched  upon  Washington.  God  grant  that  our  just  cause  may 
thus  have  triumphed  !  The  whole  town  is  agog  discussing  our 
affairs.  Different  parties  take  different  views  of  them  :  the  op 
position  party  in  the  legislature,  which  is  in  session,  being  disposed 
to  censure  the  government  for  its  reception  of  us. 

Thursday,  September  12th. — Clear,  with  passing  clouds;  trade- 
wind  fresh,  as  usual  at  this  season  of  the  year.  Indeed,  these 
winds  will  continue  to  increase  in  force  until  December,  when  they 
will  gradually  give  place  to  the  rains.  It  has  been  a  favourite 
project  of  mine  from  the  commencement  of  the  cruise,  to  ran  off 
Cape  St.  Roque,  and  there  waylay  the  commerce  of  the  enemy  in 
its  transit  both  ways ;  but  the  strong  gales  and  strong  current  which 
now  prevail,  will  interfere  for  the  present  with  my  plan,  and  I 
must  postpone  it  for  awhile.  If  the  war  continues  I  shall  hope  to 
put  it  in  execution  at  the  proper  time.  It  was  at  one  time  reported 
to-day  that  there  were  two  United  States  vessels  of  war  awaiting 
us  outside,  off  Santa  Anna ;  but  the  report  proved  to  be  the  off 
spring  of  the  excited  imaginations  of  the  townspeople.  Had  a 
conversation  this  evening  with  Senor  Rodrigues,  an  intelligent 
lawyer  and  the  Speaker  of  the  Deputies,  on  the  subject  of  the 
war.  I  found  him  pretty  well  informed,  considering  that  he  had 
received  his  information  through  the  polluted  channels  of  the 
Northern  newspapers. 

He  seemed  to  think  that  we  had  been  precipitate  in  breaking 
off  our  connexion  with  the  North  ;  but  I  told  him  we  had  been 
the  most  patient,  long-sutfering  people  in  the  world,  and  waited 


CRUISE   OF  THE  ALABAMA  AND  THE  SUMTER.         37 

till  the  last  moment  possible,  in  hope  that  the  fanaticism  which 
swayed  the  North  would  have  passed  away ;  and  that  the  respon 
sibility  of  breaking  up  the  once  great  government  of  the  North 
rested  entirely  upon  the  propagandists  of  that  section. 

Friday,  September  13th. — Cloudy,  with  the  wind  very  fresh 
from  the  eastward.  The  town  is  still  busy  discussing  our  affairs. 
A  deputy  asked  me  seriously  yesterday  if  the  President  had  not 
ordered  me  to  haul  my  flag  down,  as  not  being  recognised.  He 
said  that  the  Assembly  had  called  upon  him  for  an  explanation  of 
the  course  he  had  adopted  towards  us,  but  that  he  had  declined  to 
respond. 

It  is  reported,  too,  that  there  are  two  ships  of  war  awaiting  us 
outside  near  the  Santa  Anna  light. 

Saturday,  September  14th. — Cloudy,  with  fresh  trades.  Hav 
ing  finished  coaling  and  receiving  our  other  supplies,  we  are 
engaged  to-day  in  paying  off  our  bills.  I  have  been  enabled  to 
negotiate  a  draft  for  two  thousand  dollars  upon  the  Secretary  of 
the  Navy ;  Mr.  T.  Wetson,  one  of  our  fellow-countrymen  tempo 
rarily  here,  having  been  patriotic  enough  to  advance  me  this  sum 
on  the  faith  of  his  government.  He  not  only  thus  aided  us,  but 
was  very  anxious  to  come  on  board  in  person,  if  he  could  have 
wound  up  his  business  in  time.  In  the  evening  at  7  P.M.  I  re 
moved  on  board  from  the  Hotel  do  Porto,  preparatory  to  going  to 
sea  to-morrow. 

On  Sunday,  the  15th  September,  the  Sumter  was  again  under 
way,  and  passed  out  of  the  harbour  in  charge  of  a  pilot,  Mr.  Wet- 
son  accompanying  her  until  she  was  fairly  outside.  No  Yankee 
vessels  were  found,  as  had  been  reported,  and  the  pilot  being 
discharged,  and  a  warm  farewell  exchanged  with  Mr.  Wetson,  the 
Sumter  stood  away  upon  a  north-east  course  in  the  direction  of 
her  proposed  cruising-ground  in  the  calm  belt  between  the  trades, 
the  Cape  San  Roque  project  being  for  the  present  abandoned. 
A  dull  time  now  commenced,  great  difficulty  being  experienced 
in  forcing  the  vessel  towards  her  cruising-ground  against  the  cur 
rent,  which  at  times  would  carry  her  out  of  her  course  at  the  rate 
of  more  than  fifty  miles  a  day.  Whilst  thus  beating  wearily  and 
patiently  towards  the  station  where  it  was  hoped  that  more  prizes 
might  be  obtained,  a  curious  phenomenon  was  observed,  of  which 
the  following  account  is  given  in  the  journal : — 

Monday,  September  23d — Clear,  with  passing  clouds.  Wind 
right  from  the  south-east,  veering  and  hauling  two  or  three  points. 
We  have  experienced  in  the  last  two  or  three  days  a  remarkable 
succession  of  tide  lips,  coming  on  every  twelve  hours,  and  about 


38         CRUISE  OF  THE  ALABAMA  AND  THE   SUMTER. 

an  hour  before  the  passage  of  the  moon  over  the  meridian.  We 
have  observed  five  of  these  lips,  and  with  such  regularity,  that  we 
attribute  them  to  the  lunar  influence  attracting  the  water  in  an 
opposite  direction  from  the  prevailing  current,  which  is  east  at  the 
rate  of  some  two  miles  per  hour.  We  had  a  small  gull  fly  on 
board  of  us  to-day  at  the  distance  of  five  hundred  miles  from  the 
nearest  land.  The  tide  lips  carne  up  from  the  south  and  travelled 
north,  approaching  first  with  a  heavy  swell,  which  caused  us,  be 
ing  broadside  on,  to  roll  so  violently  that  we  kept  the  ship  off  her 
course  from  two  to  three  points  to  bring  the  roller  more  on  the 
quarter.  These  rollers  would  be  followed  by  a  confused  tumul 
tuous  sea,  foaming  and  fretting  in  every  direction,  as  if  we  were 
among  breakers.  We  were  in  fact  among  breakers,  though  for 
tunately  with  no  bottom  near.  No  boat  could  have  lived  in  such 
a  cauldron  as  was  produced  by  this  meeting  of  the  waters.  They 
generally  passed  us  in  about  three  quarters  of  an  hour,  when 
everything  became  comparatively  smooth  again.  No  observation 
to-day  for  latitude,  but  by  computation  we  are  in  latitude  5.25  N. 
and  longitude  (chronometer)  42.19  W.  Current  east  by  north 
58  miles.  So  curious  were  the  phenomena  of  the  lips  that  the 
officers  and  men  came  on  deck  upon  their  approach  to  witness 
them. 

It  was  many  a  long  week  now  since  the  sight  of  an  enemy  had 
gladdened  the  eyes  of  the  Sumter's  little  crew,  when,  on  the  25th 
of  September,  the  welcome  cry  of  "  Sail,  ho !"  was  once  more 
heard  from  the  mast-head.  Steam  was  at  once  got  up,  and  the 
United  States  colors  displayed  from  the  Confederate  cruiser.  A 
short  pause  of  expectation,  an  eager  scrutiny  of  the  stranger,  as 
the  blue  and  red  bunting  fluttered  for  a  few  moments  upon  his 
deck,  while  his  men  were  busy  with  the  signal  halyards,  and  then 
a  joyous  cheer  greeted  the  well-known  stars  and  stripes,  as  they 
rose  above  her  bulwarks,  and  mounted  slowly  to  her  mizen  peak. 

She  was  not  a  very  valuable  prize,  being  merely  a  small  brigan- 
tine,  called  the  Joseph  Park,  of  Boston,  six  days  out  from  Pernam- 
buco,  in  ballast.  But  she  was  the  first  fruits  of  a  fresh  cruise,  und 
right  joyously  did  the  boat's  crew  pull  on  board  her  to  haul  down 
the  enemy's  flag,  and  replace  it  with  the  saucy  stars  and  bars.* 

*  The  author  of  the  "  Notes  "  in  the  Index  writes  : — 

"  The  officer  who  boarded  the  Joseph  Park  asked  the  captain  if  he  had 
cargo.  'No.' — 'Have  you  any  specie?'  'Not  a  dollar.' — '  Then,  captain, 
you  must  get  into  the  boat,  and  go  with  me  on  board  the  Sumter.'  '  What 
are  you  going  to  do  with  me  when  I  get  on  board  ?'  The  officer  told  him  it 
would  depend  entirely  upon  circumstances ;  that  if  he  behaved  himself)  and 


CKUISE  OF  THE  ALABAMA  AND  THE  SUMTEK.    39 

This  done,  the  crew  were  transferred  to  the  captain's  vessel,  and  a 
prize  crew  passed  on  board  of  the  Joseph  Park,  with  instructions 
to  keep  within  eight  of  the  Sumter,  and  signal  her  immediately  on 
perceiving  any  suspicious  sail.  So  the  two  cruised  for  some  days 
in  company,  the  Joseph  Park  keeping  to  windward  during  the 
day,  and  at  night  running  down  under  cover  of  the  Snmter's  guns. 
This  capture  was  none  the  less  welcome  for  the  news  she 
brought  in  a  file  of  recent  papers  from  Pernambuco,  of  the  first 
victory  of  the  South  at  Manassas,  or  Bull  Run,  as  well  as  of  the 
successes  achieved  in  Missouri  over  the  troops  of  General  Lyon. 
Poor  Joseph  Park  !  she  had  little  anticipated  her  fate,  and  not  a 
little  amusement  was  created  among  her  captors  by  an  entry  in 
her  log  of  the  day  after  leaving  Pernambuco  : — "We  have  a  tight, 
fast  vessel,  and  we  don't  care  for  Jeff.  Davis !"  "  My  unfortunate 
prisoner,"  remarks  Captain  Semines,  "  had  holloa'd  before  he  was 
out  of  the  wood." 

The  journal  continues : — 

Friday,  September  Z*Ith. — This  is  my  fifty-second  birthday,  and 
so  the  years  roll  on,  one  by  one,  and  I  am  getting  to  be  an  old 
man  !  Thank  God,  that  I  am  still  able  to  render  service  to  my 
country  in  her  glorious  struggle  for  the  right  of  self-government, 
and  in  defence  of  her  institutions,  her  property,  and  everything  a 
people  hold  sacred.  We  have  thus  far  beaten  the  Vandal  hordes 
that  have  invaded  and  desecrated  our  soil ;  and  we  shall  continue 
to  beat  them  to  the  end.  The  just  God  of  Heaven,  who  looks 
down  upon  the  quarrels  of  men,  will  avenge  the  right.  May  we 
prove  ourselves  in  this  struggle  worthy  of  Him  and  of  our  great 
cause !  My  poor  distressed  family  !  How  fondly  my  thoughts 
revert  to  them  to-day !  My  dear  wife  and  daughters,  instead  of 
preparing  the  accustomed  "  cake "  to  celebrate  my  birthday,  are 
mourning  my  absence,  and  dreading  to  hear  of  disaster.  May  our 
Heavenly  Father  console,  cherish,  and  protect  them  ! 

did  not  try  to  conceal  anything,  he  would  receive  kind  treatment ;  that  it  all 
depended  upon  himself!  '  Well,'  said  he,  '  captain  '  (he  called  the  officer  who 
had  boarded  him  captain)  '  I  have  got  a  thousand  dollars  down  below,  and  I 
guess  I  had  better  give  it  to  you.'  So  he  went  below,  and  from  out  of  some 
little  hole  took  the  bag  containing  tho  gold.  The  officer  asked  him  why  he 
had  hidden  the  money,  as  we  had  the  United  States  colours  up.  He  said  he 
thought  it  was  the  Sumter,  and  wanted  to  be  on  the  safe  side.  The  whole 
scene  between  the  officer  and  the  captain  of  the  Joseph  Park  was  ludicrous 
in  the  extreme.  The  answers  to  questions  with  that  Yankee  nasal  twang^ 
and  Yankee  cunning,  the  officer  seeing  through  it  and  enjoying  it  all  the 
while,  made  many  jokes  in  our  mess  afterwards." 


40         CRUISE  OF  THE  ALABAMA  AND  THE   SUMTER. 


CHAPTER  VI. 

A  dull  time — "  Sail,  oh-h-h  /" — An  exciting  chase — No  prize — A  gale — 
Jack's  holiday — A  new  cruiting-ground — Dead  calm — An  enlightened 
Frenchman — A  near  thing — Patience  I — The  Daniel  Trowbridge — A 
lucky  haul — In  closer — Double  Duns — The  prize  schooner's  revenge — 
Good  news  from  home — An  apology — In  hopes  of  a  fight— Disappoint 
ment — The  West  India  station— Another  blank — Martinique. 

ANOTHER  dull  time  now  set  in.  On  the  28th  September  the 
prize  crew  were  recalled  from  the  Joseph  Park,  which,  after  doing 
duty  for  some  hours  longer  as  a  look-out  ship,  was  finally  at  night 
fall,  set  on  fire,  and  burned  to  the  water's  edge.  And  now  day 
after  day  passed  by,  unrelieved  save  by  the  little  common  inci 
dents  of  a  peaceful  voyage. 

One  day  it  would  be  a  flying-fish  that  had  leaped  on  board,  and 
paid  the  penalty  of  its  indiscretion  by  doing  duty  next  morning 
on  the  captain's  breakfast-table;  another  day  a  small  sword-fish 
performed  a  similar  exploit ;  while  on  a  third  a  heavy  rain  provided 
the  great  unwashed  of  the  forecastle  with  the  unaccustomed  luxury 
of  copious  ablutions  in  fresh  water.  But  not  a  sail  was  to  be 
seen.  Once  only  a  simultaneous  cry  from  half-a-dozen  sailors  of 
"  Light  on  the  starboard  bow  !"  produced  a  temporary  excitement, 
and  caused  the  engineers  to  "  fire  up"  at  their  utmost  speed.  But 
the  alarm  proved  false.  The  red  light  that  had  been  so  confidently 
reckoned  on  as  the  port  lantern  of  some  steamer  moving  across 
the  Sumter's  bows,  was  at  length  set  down  as  a  mere  meteor,  or  it 
might  be  some  star  setting  crimson  through  the  dim  haze  of  the 
distant  horizon.  Luck  seemed  quite  to  have  deserted  the  Con 
federate  flag.  They  were  lying  in  the  very  track  of  vessels 
between  San  Roque  and  New  York.  Allowing  a  space  of  seventy- 
five  miles  on  either  side  of  the  Sumtcr's  station  as  the  extent  of 
this  track,  and  calculating  upon  a  radius  of  observation  from  her 
masthead  of  fifteen  miles,  one-fifth  of  the  whole  number  passing 
should  certainly  have  come  within  her  ken.  Yet  in  the  course  of 
seventeen  weary  days  one  vessel  only  had  been  seen,  and  the 
Sumter's  stock  of  patience  was  beginning  to  run  very  low. 

At  length,  at  ten  o'clock  on  the  morning  of  the  5th  October, 
the  welcome  cry  was  again  heard.  "  Sail,  oh — h — h  !"  was 
shouted  from  the  masthead  with  a  lengthened  emphasis,  as  though 
the  look-out  would  mark  the  unusual  fact  with  a  special  note  of 
admiration.  The  stranger  was  dead  to  windward,  and  miles  away, 


CRUISE   OF  THE  ALABAMA  AND  THE  SUMTER.         41 

probably  some  seventeen  or  eighteen  at  the  very  least.  But  not  a 
moment  was  lost  in  starting  in  pursuit.  Steam  was  got  up,  sails 
furled,  the  vessel's  head  brought  round  in  the  direction  of  the 
chase,  and  in  less  than  half  an  hour  from  the  first  announcement 
of  her  appearance,  the  Suinter  was  dashing  through  the  water  at 
top-speed  in  pursuit. 

The  chase  was  long  and  animated.  At  first  starting  the  stranger 
had  all  the  advantage  of  a  stiff,  steady  breeze,  whilst  the  Sumter 
was  compelled  to  trust  altogether  to  her  powers  of  steaming  ;  and 
the  former,  being  a  fine,  fast  vessel,  appeared,  if  anything,  rather 
to  gain  upon  her  pursuer.  Gradually,  however,  as  the  two  vessels 
changed  their  relative  bearings,  the  Sumter  also  was  enabled  to 
avail  herself  of  her  fore  and  aft  canvas,  and  now  she  began  to 
gain  rapidly  upon  the  chase.  Three  hours  and  a  quarter  passed 
in  this  exciting  contest;  but  at  length  the  pursuer  had  come  fairly 
within  range,  and  the  chase  was  over.  Up  went  the  Stars  and 
Stripes  to  the  Sumter's  peak,  and  the  usual  pause  of  excited  ex 
pectation  ensued  ;  when,  after  bungling  awhile  with  his  signal 
halyards,  as  though  playing  with  his  pursuer's  hopes  and  fears,  the 
red  ensign  of  England  rose  defiantly  from  the  deck,  and  there  was 
to  be  no  prize  after  all. 

Very  indignant  was  the  captain  of  the  Spartan  at  being  hove-to 
by  a  Yankee,  and  great  was  the  amusement  of  the  boarding  officer 
as  he  was  welcomed  with  the  observation  that  "  the  Northerners 
were  catching  h— " 

"  How  so  ?"  inquired  he. 

"  Why  by  getting  themselves  so  badly  whipped  by  the  South 
erners." 

It  was  observed  that  the  worthy  speaker  appeared  somewhat 
surprised  at  the  perfect  good-humour  and  satisfaction  with  which 
the  intelligence  was  received. 

The  night  now  set  in  wet  and  wild.  The  wind  increased  to  a 
moderate  gale  with  a  remarkably  heavy  sea,  and  violent  rain- 
squalls  passing  at  intervals  over  the  vessel.  The  little  Sumter 
rolled  and  pitched  about  as  though  she,  too,  were  weary  of  the 
long  period  of  inaction,  and  determined  to  effect  some  kind  of 
diversion  on  her  own  account.  Morning  broke  heavy  and  threat 
ening,  with  the  barometer  at  29*87  ;  and  by  noon  it  was  blowing 
a  whole  gale,  and  the  ship  labouring  so  heavily  that  the  ceremony 
of  mustering  the  hands  and  reading  the  Articles  of  War,  cus 
tomary  on  the  first  Sunday  of  every  month,  was  perforce  dispensed 
with,  and  "Jack" — as  usual,  when  bad  weather  has  fairly  set  in, 
and  the  ship  has  been  made  snug — got  his  holiday. 

Towards  night  the  gale,   which  had  hauled  gradually  round 


42         CRUISE   OF  THE  ALABAMA  AND  THE  SUMTER. 

from  E.N.E.  to  S.E.  and  S.S.E.  in  the  course  of  some  eight  or  ten 
hours,  began  to  moderate.  ]Jy  the  next  morning  it  had  altogether 
broken,  and  though  the  clouds  were  still  leaden,  and  the  sea  ran 
high  after  the  blow  of  yesterday,  the  Sumter  was  once  more  able 
to  make  sail ;  and  shaking  the  reefs  out  of  her  topsails,  she  stood 
away  again  towards  the  S.S.E. 

The  end  of  the  week  saw  her  well  upon  her  way  towards  a  new 
cruising  ground,  the  Western  side  of  the  crossing  having  been 
fairly  given  up  as  a  hopeless  job,  and  Captain  Sermnes  shaping 
his  course  for  the  Eastern  crossing.  At  noon  on  Saturday,  the 
12th  October,  the  new  station  was  reached,  the  vessel's  position  on 
that  day  being  in  lat.  6.56  N.,  long.  44.41  W. ;  the  weather  calm, 
the  sun  shining  dimly  through  a  greyish  veil  of  mist,  and  the 
little  steamer  rolling  from  side  to  side  upon  the  long,  heaving 
swells,  her  yards  creaking  and  her  sails  flapping  heavily  against 
the  masts  with  that  dull,  hopeless  sound,  more  trying  to  the  sailor 
than  the  fiercest  gale. 

Gales  and  calms — sunshine  and  rain-squalls — long  rolling  swell 
— heavy  sea,  and  not  a  break  in  the  monotonous  round.  Thirtv- 
eight  days  out,  and  in  all  that  time  but  two  vessels  spoken  and  one 
solitary  prize! 

Thursday,  October  24th. — Cloudy,  with  the  wind  from  the  east 
ward.  At  half-past  six  in  the  morning  descried  a  sail  in  the 
north  east.  Got  up  steam  and  gave  chase.  At  nine  came  up 
with  a  brig,  which  proved  to  be  a  Frenchman,  La  Mouche  Noire, 
from  Nantes  to  Martinique.  Sent  a  boat  on  board  of  him.  lie 
had  no  newspapers,  and  said  he  knew  the  United  States  were  at 
war — we  had  the  United  States  colours  flying — but  with  whom  he 
did  not  know.  Enlightened  Frenchman  !  Or  this  may  teach  us 
a  lesson  of  humility,  as  showing  us  how  little  is  thought  in  Europe 
of  the  American  Revolution.  The  brig  was  a  clumsy  specimen  of 
architecture,  and  was  out  fortv-two  days.  We  detained  her  less 
than  half-an-hour,  and  permitted  her  to  go  on  her  course  again. 
Our  ill-luck  seems  to  culminate;  for  two  out  of  the  only  three  sail 
we  have  seen  in  thirty-nine  days  have  proved  to  be  foreign. 

Friday,  October  25 tk. — Fresh  breeze  from  the  north,  and  trade- 
wind  weather.  Morning,  a  few  rain-squalls,  clearing,  but  with 
passing  clouds,  as  the  sun  gained  altitude.  Afternoon  heavy, 
overcast  sky,  with  half  a  gale  of  wind.  At  2.50  P.M.  descried  a 
sail  on  the  starboard-quarter,  bearing  about  S.E.  Got  up  sU-inn 
and  gave  chase,  and  at  5  P.M.  came  up  with  her.  Fired  a  blank 
cartridge  and  spoke  a  Prussian  ship,  which  I  caused  to  heave-to 
for  the  purpose  of  sending  a  boat  on  board  of  him:  but,  as  in  the 
meantime  the  wind  freshened,  and  considerable  sea  had  arisen, 


CRUISE  OF  THE  ALABAMA  AND  THE  SUMTER.         43 

and  as  I  had  no  doubts  of  the  character  of  the  ship,  I  gave  him 
leave  to  fill  away  and  proceed  on  his  course  (to  some  one  of  the 
Windward  Islands)  without  boarding  him.  As  I  was  rounding 
the  ship  to,  near  this  vessel,  we  came  so  near  a  collision  that  my 
heart  stood  still  for  a  moment  as  the  bows  of  the  huge,  heavy- 
laden  ship  passed  our  quarter,  almost  near  enough  to  graze  it. 
If  she  had  been  thrown  upon  us  by  one  of  the  heavy  seas  that 
were  running,  we  should  probably  have  been  cut  down  to  the 
water's  edge  and  sunk  in  a  few  minutes.  This  will  give  me  a 
lesson  as  to  the  space  my  long  ship  requires  to  turn  in  when  she 
has  a  sea  on  the  quarter  or  bow.  We  are  forty  days  out  to-day, 
have  seen  four  sails,  and  three  of  the  four  have  proved  to  be 
foreign.  I  am  not  discouraged,  however,  but  I  have  had  an 
excellent  opportunity  to  practise  the  Christian  virtue  of  patience, 
which  virtue  I  think  I  am  a  little  deficient  in. 

Sunday,  October  27 th. — A  beautiful  clear  day,  with  a  light 
breeze  from  the  E.N.E.,  and  a  few  summer-like  passing  trade- 
clouds.  Mustered  the  crew.  Two  sail  in  one  day  !  8.30  A.M. 
A  sail  was  descried  in  the  S.E.  We  immediately  gave  chase  with 
all  sail,  and  added  steam  to  sails  in  about  an  hour  and  a  half.  We 
came  up  with  the  chase  about  3  P.M.  ;  the  vessel  proving  very  fast.  We 
showed,  as  usual,  the  United  States  colours,  the  chase  showing  the 
same.  Fired  a  blank  cartridge  and  ordered  him  to  heave-to. 
Sent  a  boat  on  board  and  captured  him,  hauling  down  the  United 
States  and  hoisting  our  own  flag  as  our  officer  got  on  board.  She 
proved  to  be  the  schooner  Daniel  Trowbridge,  of  New  Haven,  Con 
necticut,  from  New  York  to  Demerara,  with  a  cargo  of  provisions  ; 
cargo  belonging  to  same  owner  as  vessel,  D.  Trowbridge,  of  Con 
necticut.  Sent  a  prize  crew  on  board,  and  left  in  pursuit  of  ano 
ther  sail  that  had  been  descried  in  the  meantime,  with  which  we 
came  up  at  dark.  She  proved  to  be  a  brigantine  from  Nova  Scotia 
to  Demerara  (English).  Permitted  her  to  proceed  on  her  course. 
Banked  fires,  and  put  the  ship  under  sail,  with  a  light  at  the  peak, 
and  the  prize  in  company. 

Monday,  October  '28th. — Fine  clear  weather,  with  a  moderate 
sea  and  a  light  breeze.  Called  the  prize  within  hail  ;  hoisted  out 
the  long-boat  and  sent  her  alongside  and  commenced  receiving 
provisions.  I  felt  truly  thankful  to  a  kind  Providence  for  this 
windfall,  for  we  were  running  short  of  provisions-! — beef  bad,  and 
weevily  bread.  And  here  were  more  than  we  needed,  and  of  the 
best.  Pork,  beef,  hams,  flour,  bread,  crackers  (biscuits),  &c.; 
this  was  truly  a  Yankee  cargo,  there  being  a  large  number  of 
pigs,  sheep,  and  geese  on  board.  A  busy,  bustling  day,  with 
boats  passing  to  and  fro,  and  men  busy  on  both  ships  with  boxes, 


44         CRUISE   OF  THE  ALABAMA  AND   THE   SUMTER. 

barrels,  &c.  To  get  at  the  cargo  we  threw  overboard  the  super 
incumbent  articles,  and  strewed  the  sea  with  Connecticut  wooden 
ware  and  brooms. 

Tuesday,  October  29th. — Another  favourable  day  for  unloading 
the  prize.  Wind  light  from  the  East,  and  not  too  much  sea  on.  We 
are  filling  up  with  five  months'  provisions.  In  the  meantime  we 
are  enjoying  the  luxury,  far  away  out  at  sea  and  forty-three  days 
from  port,  of  fresh  meat;  the  sheep  on  board  the  prize  being  iu 
excellent  condition,  and  I  have  them  slaughtered  in  sufficient 
numbers  for  the  crew.  At  noon  the  sky  becoming  overcast ;  lat. 
16.54  N.,  long.  57.33  W. 

Wednesday,  October  30th. — A  beautiful  serene  day,  with  a 
light  breeze  from  the  S.E.  and  a  smooth  sea.  At  7  A.M.,  "Sail, 
ho !"  from  aloft.  Despatched  a  couple  of  boats  to  the  prize 
schooner  to  bring  away  some  of  the  live  stock,  and  sent  orders  to 
the  prize  master  to  set  fire  to  the  prize  and  return  on  board. 
These  orders  being  all  executed  and  the  boats  run  up,  at  8.30, 
steamed  in  pursuit  of  the  strange  sail.  At  eleven  came  up  with, 
and  sent  a  boat  on  board  of  the  Danish  brig  Una,  from  Copen 
hagen  to  Santa  Cruz,  sixty-nine  days  out.  Permitted  her  to  pro 
ceed  on  her  course  after  a  detention  of  about  half-an-hour.  We 
showed  her  the  United  States  colours.  This  evening,  having 
directed  the  junior  lieutenant  to  send  to  the  master  of  the  prize 
schooner  Daniel  Trowbridge,  for  the  log  slates  of  the  schooner 
which  he,  the  master,  had  put  among  his  private  baggage,  it  was 
reported  to  me  that  the  master  in  delivering  these  articles  to  the 
messenger,  the  sergeant  of  marines,  used  this  insolent  language — 
"  D —  them.  I  hope  they  will  do  them  no  good,  and  if  they  want 
a  shirt  I  can  lend  them  that  too."  I  had  the  man  seized  and  put 
in  double  irons.  Lat.  16.40  N.,  long.  58.16  W. 

Thursday,  October  3lst. — Beautiful  clear  weather,  with  a  light 
breeze  from  the  North  and  East.  Got  up  and  sunned  the  ball 
cartridges,  some  of  which  had  been  damaged  by  the  damp,  and 
overhauled  the  pumps  which  had  gotten  out  of  order.  At  2  A.M. 
a  light  having  been  reported  to  me,  I  ordered  steam  gotten  up  and 
made  pursuit.  .  As  we  came  up  with  it,  we  found  it  to  be  a  burning 
fragment  of  the  schooner  which  we  had  fired  eighteen  hours  be 
fore.  Banked  fires.  We  have  been  greatly  interested  since  our 
last  capture  in  examining  a  lot  of  newspapers  found  on  board. 
They  are  as  late  as  the  8th  October,  and  give  us  most  cheering 
accounts  of  the  war.  We  have  gloriously  whipped  the  enemy  at 
all  points,  and  have  brought  Missouri  and  Kentucky  out  of  the 
Union.  The  tone  of  the  European  press  is  highly  favourable  to 
our  cause,  and  indicates  a  prompt  recognition  of  our  independence. 


CRUISE   OF  THE  ALABAMA  AND  THE  SUMTEB.         45 

And  all  this  cheering  information  we  get  from  the  enemy  himself! 
Lat.  16.54  N.,  long.  57.59  W.  The  master  of  the  prize  schooner 
Trowbridge,  having  made  a  very  humble  apology  for  his  conduct  of 
yesterday,  and  asked  to  be  released  from  confinement,  I  directed 
him  to  be  discharged  from  close  custody  and  to  have  his  irons 
taken  off. 

The  Daniel  Trowbridge,  however,  was  the  last  prize  that  fell 
to  the  Sumter's  lot  on  this  cruise.  She  was  now  in  the  full  track 
of  vessels  crossing  the  Line,  and  scarcely  a  day  parsed  without  one 
or  more  being  overhauled;  but  the  Stars  and  Stripes  appeared  to 
have  vanished  from  the  seas.  Vessel  after  vessel  was  brought-to, 
now  English,  now  French,  now  belonging  to  some  one  or  other  of 
the  innumerable  neutral  nations,  but  not  a  Yankee  was  to  be  seen, 
and  the  ship's  company  began  almost  to  weary  of  their  profitless  task. 

One  brief,  morning's  excitement  there  was,  as  a  large  steamer 
was  descried  in  the  offing,  evidently  a  man-of-war.  All  was  at 
once  alive  and  eager  on  board  the  little  Sumter.  The  drums  beat 
to  quarters,  decks  were,  cleared  for  action,  and  every  preparation 
made  for  combat,  as  the  Confederate  cruiser  stood  boldly  out  to 
meet  her  expected  foe.  But  again  the  eager  crew  were  doomed  to 
disappointment.  They  were  no  more  to  fight  than  to  capture 
prizes.  As  the  stranger  drew  near,  the  white  ensign  of  St.  George 
Fluttered  gracefully  to  her  peak,  and  after  the  customary  interchange 
of  civilities,  the  two  vessels  went  on  their  respective  courses,  and 
the  little  Sumter  was  once  more  alone  on  the  wide  ocean. 

A  change  of  cruising  ground  was  now  again  resolved  on,  and  a 
course  shaped  for  the  West  Indies.  Still,  however,  without  suc 
cess,  and  at  length  the  supply  of  water  beginning  to  fail,  the 
cruise  was  abandoned,  and  on  the  9th  November  the  Sumter 
steamed  into  Fort  de  France  in  Martinique,  having  been  fifty-seven 
days  at  sea. 


CHAPTER    VII. 

A  French  governor — At  church — Visitors — On  shore — Prisoners  re 
leased —  Coaling  difficulties — Sympathy  for  the  South — A  glass  of 
grog/ — St.  Pierre — Cariosity — The  Iroquois — An  attempt  to  inti 
midate — Li  Acheron —  Yankee  notion  of  neutrality — Masquerading. — 
Preparations  for  a  fight — The  marine  league — The  Trent  outrage 
—  On  the  watch — Violation  of  rights — A  bold  attempt — Success. 

Saturday,  Nov.   9th. — Weather   fine    during  the   morning.     At 
daylight,  got  up  steam  and  stood  in  for  the  land  northward  of 


46    CRUISE  OF  THE  ALABAMA  AND  THE  SUMTER. 

Ftrt  St.  Louis7  Bay,  running  down  the  coast  as  we  approached. 
The  coast,  all  the  way  into  the  anchorage,  is  bold  and  clear.  Ran 
within  three  hundred  yards  of  Point  Negro,  passing  a  passenger 
steamer  bound  to  St.  Pierre,  and  anchored  in  six  fathoms  water, 
with  the  south  end  of  the  fort  bearing  E.  J  S.,  and  the  wharf 
about  N.  by  E.  A  pilot  soon  after  came  on  board,  and  we  got  np 
anchor  and  went  in  to  the  anchorage  E.  of  the  fort,  the  health 
officer  visiting  us  in  the  meantime,  and  giving  us  pratique. 

Sent  a  lieutenant  to  call  on  the  Governor,  and  afterwards  visited 
him  myself.  I  stated  in  this  interview  that  I  had  come  into  Mar 
tinique  to  refresh  my  crew,  and  obtain  such  supplies  as  I  needed, 
coal  included.  The  Governor  replied  that  he  could  not  supply  me 
with  coal  from  the  Government  stock,  but  I  was  free  to  go  into 
the  market  and  purchase  what  I  wanted,  he,  the  Governor,  not 
knoicing  anything  about  it  ;  and  that  as  to  my  prisoners,  if  the 
United  States  consul  at  St.  Pierre  would  become  responsible  for 
their  maintenance,  I  might  land  them.  With  his  consent,  I  sent 
the  two  masters  up  to  St.  Pierre  in  the  packet  to  see  this  consul, 
and  arrange  the  matter.  I  despatched  also  the  paymaster  to  look 
after  coal  and  clothing  for  the  crew,  giving  leave  to  Lieutenant 
Chapman  to  accompany  him.  The  Governor  at  one  time  ordered 
me  to  shift  my  berth,  by  returning  to  my  first  anchorage ;  but 
countermanded  the  order  upon  my  demanding  an  explanation  of 
it.  He  seemed  disposed,  too,  to  restrict  my  procuring  supplies  at 
this  place,  on  the  ground  that  it  was  merely  the  seat  of  govern 
ment  and  a  military  and  naval  station  ;  but  upon  my  insisting 
upon  my  right,  under  the  Imperial  proclamation,  to  be  treated  in 
all  respects  as  a  lawful  belligerent,  he  abandoned  his  point.  The 
French  colonies  are  governed  by  the  minister  of  Marine,  naval 
officers  being  the  governors  and  chief  officials.  The  Governor  of 
Martinique  is  a  rear-admiral. 

Sunday,  Nov.  10th. — Rain  in  the  early  morning,  clearing  towards 
eight  o'clock.  Went  on  shore  and  accompanied  M.  Guerin  to  the 
Governor's  mass,  at  8  A.M.  The  interior  of  the  church  is  very  pleas 
ing,  with  rare  valuable  paintings.  The  congregation  was  small. 
A  detachment  (one  company  from  each  regiment),  entered  the 
main  aisle,  and  formed  in  double  lines,  a  few  minutes  before  the 
commencement  of  the  service.  The  Governor  and  his  staff 
entered  punctually,  and  the  service  lasted  about  three-quarters  of 
an  hour.  Fine  music  from  a  band  in  the  orchestra.  The  blacks 
and  whites  occupy  pews  indiscriminately,  though  there  is  no  social 
mixture  of  the  races.  All  colours  have  the  same  political  rights, 
notwithstanding  which  the  jealousy  and  hatred  of  the  whites  by 
the  blacks  is  said  to  be  very  great.  Was  visited  by  M.  Guerin 


CRUISE  OF  THE  ALABAMA  AND  THE  SUMTER.    47 

und  a  number  of  gentlemen — members  of  the  Colonial  Legislature 
and  others — to  whom  I  explained  the  true  issue  of  the  war — to 
wit,  an  abolition  crusade  against  our  slave-property  ;  our  popula 
tion,  resources,  victories,  <fec. — to  all  of  which  they  listened  with 
much  appearance  of  gratification,  and  which  they  also  expressed 
from  time  to  time,  lamenting  the  blind  policy  of  their  Home  Go 
vernment.  Mustered  the  crew,  and  read  Articles  of  War.  Three 
of  the  prisoners  have  shipped.  Let  another  batch  of  libertymen 
go  on  shore.  Two  of  yesterday's  batch  did  not  come  off  in  time 
this  morning.  Since  came  on  board.  Visited  the  Savannah  to 
hear  the  music,  which  is  given  every  Sunday  evening.  It  was  a 
gay  and  beautiful  scene :  the  moon,  the  shade,  the  trees,  the 
statue  of  Josephine,  the  throng  of  well-dressed  men  and  women, 
the  large  band  and  the  fine  music,  the  ripple  of  the  sea ;  and  last, 
though  not  least,  the  Katy-dids,  so  fraught  with  memories  of  home, 
dear  home !  Visited  M.  Guerin  after  the  music,  and  made  the 
acquaintance  of  his  charming  family,  consisting  of  wife,  daughter- 
in-law,  and  niece,  who  gave  some  music  on  the  piano  and  a  song. 
M.  Guerin's  mother  died  a  nun  in  the  city  of  Baltimore,  where  M. 
Guerin  was  himself  educated.  He  retains  his  early  impressions 
of  Baltimore  very  vividly. 

Monday,  November  llth. — Weather  clear  and  pleasant,  with 
refreshing  trade-winds ;  watering  ship.  Visited  the  town,  and 
went  a-shopping  in  company  with  M.  Guerin.  Found  French 
manufactured  clothing,  <fec.,  reasonably  cheap.  In  the  afternoon 
strolled  on  the  heights  in  rear  of  the  town,  and  was  charmed  with 
the  picturesque  scenery  on  every  hand.  The  little  valleys  and 
nooks  in  which  nestle  the  country  houses  are  perfect  pictures,  and 
the  abrupt  and  broken  country  presents  delightful  changes  at 
every  turn.  I  saw  but  few  signs  of  diligent  cultivation.  The 
negro  race  is  here,  as  everywhere  else,  an  idle  and  thriftless  one; 
and  the  purlieus  of  the  town  where  they  are  congregated  are  dila 
pidated  and  squalid.  The  statue  of  Josephine  in  the  Savannah 
is  a  very  fine  specimen  of  sculpture.  It  represents  her  in  her 
customary  dress,  and  she  appears,  indeed,  a  charming  woman. 
This  is  her  native  island.  The  United  States  consul  came  down 
to-day  from  St.  Pierre,  and  I  landed  the  remainder  of  the  prison 
ers,  twelve  in  number,  putting  them  on  parole.  I  had  them  all 
assembled  in  the  gangway,  and  questioned  them  as  to  their  treat 
ment  on  board.  They  all  expressed  themselves  satisfied  with  it. 
The  officers  returned  from  St.  Pierre,  and  reported  that  coal  was 
to  be  had,  but  that  the  Collector  of  Customs  had  prohibited  the 
merchants  from  sending  it  to  us.  Wrote  to  the  Governor  on  the 
subject : — 


48         CRUISE   OF  THE   ALABAMA  AND  THE   SUMTER. 


Confederate  States'  steamer  Snmter, 
Fort  Royal,  Nov.  12th,  1861. 

SIR, — In  tbc  interview  which  I  had  the  honour  to  hold  with 
your  Excellency  on  Saturday  last,  the  9th  inst.,  I  understood  your 
Excellency  to  assent  to  the  proposition  that  I  might  go  into  th» 
market  at  St.  Pierre,  and  purchase  such  supplies  as  I  might  stand  in 
need  of,  coal  included.  The  precise  position  assumed  by  your 
Excellency  was,  that  you  would  neither  assent  nor  prohibit.  On 
the  faith  of  this  understanding,  I  despatched  one  of  my  lieutenants 
and  my  paymaster  to  St.  Pierre,  to  make  the  necessary  purchases, 
and  they  have  returned  and  reported  to  me  that  they  found  an 
abundance  of  coal  in  the  market,  and  at  reasonable  rates,  and  that 
the  owners  of  it  are  anxious  to  supply  me  with  it,  but  that  your 
Collector  of  the  Customs  had  interposed,  and  prohibited  the  mer 
chants  from  selling  or  delivering  it  to  me.  For  the  information  of 
your  Excellency,  I  will  here  state  that  I  have  been  permitted  to 
coal  in  all  the  ports  I  have  heretofore  visited,  except  only  at  the 
French  port  of  Cayenne,  where  I  was  informed  that  there  was  no 
coal  in  the  market,  and  where  it  was  insisted  that  I  should  under 
go  a  quarantine  of  five  days  before  communicating  with  the  town. 
As  it  was  not  convenient  for  me  to  undergo  this  quarantine,  I 
sailed  immediately.  I  have  coaled  at  Cienfuegos  in  the  island  of 
Cuba,  at  Cura9ao,  at  Trinidad,  at  Paramaribo,  and  at  Maran- 
ham.  It  appears  that  Spain,  Holland,  England  and  Brazil  have 
each  deemed  it  consistent  with  their  neutrality  in  the  present  war 
to  permit  me  freely  to  supply  myself  with  coal.  Am  I  to  under 
stand  from  the  action  of  your  officers  at  St.  Pierre  that  you  have 
withdrawn  the  implied  assent  given  me  on  Saturday  last,  and  that 
France,  through  your  agency,  adopts  a  different  and  less  friendly 
rule  ?  Will  France  drive  a  vessel  of  war  of  the  Confederate  States 
from  one  of  her  islands  to  a  British  island  to  procure  coal  ?  And 
if  she  does  this,  on  what  principle  will  she  do  it  ?  It  is  a  well- 
settled  rule  of  international  law,  that  belligerent  cruisers  have  the 
right  to  enter  freely  into  neutral  ports  for  the  purpose  of  replen 
ishing  their  stores  of  provisions,  or  replacing  a  lost  mast  or  spar ; 
and  why  should  not  they  be  equally  permitted  to  receive  on  board 
coal? 

Coal  is  no  more  necessary  to  the  locomotion  of  a  steamer  than 
is  a  mast  or  spar  to  a  sail-ship  ;  it  is  no  more  necessary  to  a  cruiser 
than  provisions.  Without  a  mast  or  without  provisions  a  sail-ship 
could  not  continue  her  cruise  against  the  enemy;  and  yet  the 
neutral  permitted  her  to  supply  herself  with  these  articles.  Nor 
can  such  supplies  as  these  be  placed  on  the  ground  of  humanity. 
It  would  be  inhuman,  it  is  true,  to  permit  the  crew  of  a  bellige- 


CRUISE   OF   THE   ALABAMA  AND  THE   SUMTER.         49 

rent  cruiser  to  perish  in  your  ports  by  debarring  from  access  to 
your  markets,  from  day  to  day ;  but  it  does  not  follow  that  it 
would  be  inhuman  to  prevent  her  from  laying  in  a  stock  of  pro 
visions  to  enable  her  to  proceed  to  sea,  and  continne  her  cruise 
.against  the  enemy.  It  is  not  humanity  to  supply  a  vessel  with  a 
lost  mast  or  a  spar,  and  yet  no  one  doubts  that  this  may  be  done. 
Humanity,  then,  being  out  of  the  question,  what  possible  distinc 
tion  can  your  Excellency  draw  between  supplying  a  vessel  with 
the  articles  above  mentioned,  and  supplying  her  with  coal  ? 

Without  any  one  of  them  she  would  be  unable  to  prosecute  her 
cruise  against  the  enemy — why,  then,  will  you  supply  her  with  a 
part,  and  not  with  the  whole  ? 

Without  troubling  your  Excellency  further,  however,  with  an 
argument  of  the  question,  I  will  content  myself  with  stating  what 
I  believe  to  be  the  true  rule  of  law,  and  it  is  this : — A  belligerent 
ship  of  war  cannot  increase  her  armament  or  her  crew  in  a  neutral 
port,  nor  supply  herself  with  ammunition  ;  but  with  these  excep 
tions  she  may  procure  whatever  supply  she  needs. 

Although  it  would  be  an  easy  matter  for  me  to  run  to  one  of 
the  British,  or  Danish,  or  Dutch  Islands,  I  should  regret  to  be 
obliged  to  do  so,  and  to  have  to  inform  my  Government  of  the 
reason.  I  would  not  willingly  have  France  adopt  a  rule  which 
would  effectually  shut  us  out  of  her  ports,  whilst  Holland,  Great 
Britain,  Spain,  and  Brazil  admit  us  freely  into  theirs.  The  rule, 
prohibiting  us  from  bringing  our  prizes  into  neutral  ports,  operates 
very  harshly  upon  us,  as  the  weaker  naval  power  of  the  bellige 
rents,  without  adding  to  it  one  still  more  harsh,  and  which  has  the 
sanction  of  neither  law  nor  precedent.  If,  however,  it  be  the  de 
termination  of  your  Excellency  to  insist  upon  my  departure  with 
out  coal,  I  beg  that  you  will  have  the  goodness  to  say  as  much 
to  me  in  writing.  Your  Excellency  is  the  best  judge  of  your 
instructions,  and  of  what  they  require  of  you. 
I  have  the  honour  to  be, 
With  much  consideration, 

Your  obedient  Servant, 
(Signed)  R.  SKMMES. 

To  his  Excellency  M.  Maussion  de  Cond6, 

1'Amiral  et  Gouverneur  de  la  Martinique. 

"We  have  the  gratifying  intelligence  that  Captain  Hollins,  with 
some  armed  steamers,  had  driven  the  enemy  from  the  mouth  of 
the  Mississippi,  sinking  the  Preble,  and  driving  the  other  vessels 
on  the  bar  of  the  S.W.  Pass.  Mr.  Seward  has  issued  a  proclama 
tion,  desiring  the  Governors  of  the  Northern  States  to  put  their 

3 


50         CRUISE   OF  THE  ALABAMA  AND  THE  SUMTER. 

forts,  &c.,  in  condition,  "  as  well  on  the  seaboard  as  on  the  lakes !" 
This,  with  Fremont's  abolition  proclamation,  will  be  of  great  ser 
vice  to  us.  Quern  Deus,  &c.  The  Governor  consents  to  my  coal 
ing  at  St.  Pierre. 

Friday,  November  \2tk. — Fine,  pleasant  weather.  Watering 
ship.  I  did  not  visit  the  shore  to-day ;  some  of  the  officers  are  on 
shore  dining,  <fcc.,  with  the  French  naval  officers.  There  is  evi 
dently  great  sympathy  for  us  in  the  island.  We  have  got  on  board 
all  our  "  liberty-men,"  no  one  of  them  having  shown  a  disposition 
to  desert.  At  9  P.M.,  a  drunken  fireman  jumped  overboard  arid 
swam  ashore,  in  spite  of  the  efforts  of  a  boat  to  catch  him.  He 
thus  braved  the  discipline  of  the  ship  solely  for  a  glass  of  grog  ! — 
so  strong  upon  him  was  the  desire  for  drink.  We  sent  an  officer 
for  him  and  caught  him  in  a  grog-shop.  It  is  reported  to  us,  as 
coming  from  the  Captain  of  the  Port,  that  there  is  a  frigate  cruis 
ing  off  the  Diamond  Rock.  The  ship  Siam  arrived  to-day,  with 
444  coolies ! 

Translation  of  Reply  received  from  the  Governor,  in  Answer  to 
the  preceding. 

Fort  de  France,  12th  November,  1861. 

To  THE  CAPTAIN — 

I  have  the  honour  to  send  you  the  enclosed  letter,  which  I  ask 
you  to  hand  to  the  Collector  of  Customs  at  St.  Pierre,  in  which  I 
request  him  to  permit  you  to  embark  freely,  as  much  coal  as  you 
wish  to  purchase  in  the  market. 

I  do  not  change  at  all  from  the  position  which  I  took  with  you 
on  Saturday  last.  I  do  not  consider  that  I  am  empowered  any 
more  to  give  you  coal  from  the  Government  supply  of  this  divi 
sion,  than  I  am  to  interfere  with  the  market  to  prevent  its  being 
sold  to  you  there. 

With  the  expression  of  my  highest  regard  for  the  Captain, 

(Signed)  MAUSSION  DE  CONDE. 

Wednesday,  November  13th. — Got  up  steam,  and  unmoored 
ship  at  daylight;  and  at  half-past  six  passed  out  of  the  harbour  of 
Fort  Royal,  or  rather  now  Fort  de  France.  The  pilot  repeated  the 
intelligence  that  there  was  a  frigate  off  the  Diamond  Rock.  As 
we  passed  the  picturesque  country-seat  of  the  Governor,  perched 
upon  a  height  overlooking  the  sea,  we  hoisted  the  French  flag  at 
the  fore.  Passed  the  St.  Pierre  steamer  on  her  way  down.  At 
eight)  came  to,  in  the  harbour  of  St.  Pierre,  at  the  man-of-war 
anchorage  south  of  the  town.  Several  of  the  custom-house  officers 
visited  us,  saying  that  they  had  not  come  on  board  officially,  but 


CRUISE   OF  THE   ALABAMA  AND  THE   SUMTER.         51 

merely  out  of  civility,  and  from  curiosity  to  see  the  ship.  Sent  a 
lieutenant  on  shore  to  call  on  the  commandant,  and  make  arrange 
ments  for  the  purchase  and  reception  of  coal,  despatching  to  the 
collector  the  Government  order  to  permit  us  to  embark  it.  At  1 
P.M.,  shifted  our  berth  nearer  to  the  shore,  for  the  convenience  of 
coaling,  mooring  head  and  stern  with  a  hawser  to  the  shore.  Re 
ceived  on  board  thirty  tons  by  9  P.M.  ;  sent  down  the  foreyard  for 
repairs.  Quarantined  the  paymaster  and  surgeon  for  being  out  of 
the  ship  after  hours,  but  upon  the  explanations  of  the  former,  re 
leased  them  both.  The  market-square  near  the  water  is  thronged 
with  a  dense  crowd,  eagerly  gazing  upon  the  ship  ;  and  the  news 
paper  of  to-day  gives  a  marvellous  account  of  us,  a  column  in 
length.  Among  other  amusing  stories,  they  claim  me  to  be  a 
French  officer,  formerly  serving  on  board  the  Mereuse! 

Thursday,  November  I4lh. — Rain  in  the  forenoon.  Busy  coal 
ing,  and  getting  on  board  a  few  necessary  stores.  It  is  reported 
that  the  Iroquois  sailed  from  Trinidad  on  the  2nd  November,  and 
that  there  are  three  ships  of  war  of  the  enemy  at  St.  Thomas', 
one  sail  vessel,  and  two  steamers ;  and  that  one  of  these  was  ex 
pected  here  last  night.  She  has  not  yet  made  her  appearance.  It 
will  be  difficult  for  her  to  prevent  our  sailing.  At  2.30  P.M.  the 
steam-sloop  Iroquois  of  the  enemy  made  her  appearance,  corning 
round  the  north  end  of  the  island.  She  had  at  first  Danish  colours 
flying,  but  soon  changed  them  for  her  own.  She  steamed  ahead 
of  us  very  slowly,  and,  taking  up  a  position  some  half  to  three- 
quarters  of  a  mile  from  us,  stood  off  and  on  during  the  afternoon 
and  night.  Finished  receiving  our  coal  and  provisions  (sugar  and 
rum)  at  about  9  P.M.,  when  I  permitted  the  crew  to  have  their 
hammocks  as  usual.  Directed  everything  to  be  kept  ready  for 
action.  Visited  in  the  afternoon  by  the  mayor  of  the  city  and 
some  gentlemen,  who  assured  me  of  the  sympathy  of  the  citizens, 
and  of  the  colony  generally.  At  1.30  A.M:  I  was  called  by  the 
officer  of  the  deck,  and  informed  that  the  Iroquois  was  standing 
in  for  us,  and  approaching  us  very  close.  Called  all  hands  to 
quarters,  and  made  all  preparations  to  receive  the  enemy  in  case 
he  should  attempt  to  run  us  on  board.  He  sheered  off,  however, 
when  he  came  within  three  or  four  hundred  yards.  He  repeated 
this  operation  several  times  during  the  midwatch,  imposing  upon 
us  as  often  the  necessity  of  calling  the  men  to  quarters ;  indeed, 
from  about  half-past  two  they  slept  at  their  guns.  Great  excite 
ment  pervades  the  entire  city.  The  market-square,  the  quays,  and 
the  windows  of  the  houses,  are  thronged  by  an  eager  and  curious 
multitude,  expecting  every  moment  to  see  a  combat.  The  enemy 
approached  us  at  one  time  within  a  ship's  length. 


52    CRUISE  OF  THE  ALABAMA  AND  THE  SUMTER. 

Friday,  November  15th. — Fine,  bright  morning.  At  7.30  a 
French  steamer  of  war,  L' Acheron,  Captain  Duchaxel,  came  in  from 
Fort  de  France,  and  made  fast  to  one  of  the  buoys.  The  Iroquois 
about  a  mile  from  us.  At  8.30  sent  a  boat  on  board  the  French 
man  to  pay  the  usual  ceremonial  visit.  The  throng  in  the  town 
unabated,  multitudes  being  gathered  near  the  water,  looking  out 
at  the  two  ships.  At  10  the  French  captain  paid  me  a  visit.  He 
came  np,  he  said,  with  orders  from  the  Governor,  to  preserve  the 
neutrality  of  the  port  between  the  two  belligerents,  and  in  case 
the  Iroquois  came  to  an  anchor,  to  demand  of  the  captain  a  pro 
mise  that  he  would  not  proceed  to  sea  for  twenty-four  hours  after 
our  own  departure.  I  wrote  to  the  Governor,  informing  him  of 
the  violation  of  the  neutrality  of  the  port  by  the  Iroquois,  and  de 
siring  him  to  apply  the  proper  remedy  : — 

C.  8.  steamer  Sumter,  St.  Pierre,  Island  of  Martinique, 
November  15th,  1861. 

SIR, — I  have  the  honor  to  inform  your  Excellency  that  I  am 
closely  blockaded  in  this  port  by  the  enemy's  steam  sloop-of  war 
Iroquois,  of  twice  my  force.  This  vessel,  in  defiance  of  the  law  of 
nations,  and  in  contempt  of  the  neutrality  of  this  island,  has  boldly 
entered  the  harbour,  and  without  coming  to  anchor  is  cruising 
backwards  and  forwards  in  a  menacing  attitude,  not  only  within 
the  marine  league  of  the  shore,  but  within  less  than  a  ship's 
length  of  this  vessel,  which  is  moored  not  more  than  one  hundred 
yaqjls  from  the  beach.  During  the  past  night  she  several  times 
approached  me  within  fifty  or  a  hundred  yards.  I  deem  it  my 
duty  to  acquaint  your  Excellency  with  these  facts,  and  to  invoke 
your  authority  for  the  preservation  of  my  just  rights  within  your 
waters.  I  take  the  following  principles,  applicable  to  the  present 
case,  to  be  well  settled  by  the  law  of  nations  : — Firstly,  that  no  act 
of  hostility,  proximate  or  remote,  can  be  committed  by  any  belli 
gerent  in  neutral  waters;  secondly,  that  when  a  cruiser  of  one  bel 
ligerent  takes  refuge  within  the  waters  of  a  neutral  power,  a  cruiser 
of  the  opposite  belligerent  cannot  follow  her  into  those  waters  for 
purposes  of  hostility,  proximate  or  remote.  It  is  not  only  unlaw 
ful  for  her  to  approach  within  the  marine  league,  for  the  purpose 
of  watch  and  menace,  but  it  is  equally  unlawful  for  her  to  hover 
about  the  coast  of  the  neutral,  at  any  distance  within  plain  view, 
for  the  same  purposes.  All  these  are  remote  or  prospective  acts 
of  war,  and  as  such,  offensive  to  the  neutral  power.  Thirdly,  that 
when  opposite  belligerents  meet  by  accident  in  a  neutral  port,  if 
one  of  them  departs  thsrefrom,  the  other  is  bound  to  wait  twenty- 
four  hours  before  departing.  For  the  opposite  belligerent  to  de- 


CRUISE  OF  THE  ALABAMA  AND  THE  SUMTER.    53 

part  immediately  in  pursuit,  is  to  avail  herself  of  the  neutral  terri 
tory  for  the  purpose  of  war.  She  commits,  by  the  very  fact  of 
sailing,  a  remote  act  of  hostility  which  is  offensive  to  the  neutral 
state. 

In  view  of  the  foregoing;  facts  and  principles,  I  respectfully  re 
quest  that  your  Excellency  will  cause  the  Iroquois  to  cease  hover 
ing  about  the  coast  of  the  island  for  the  purpose  of  watching  my 
movements;  in  other  words,  to  withdraw  herself  out  of  plain  sight. 
Or  if  she  prefers  to  come  in,  to  anchor,  to  direct  either  that  she 
shall  depart  twenty- four  hours  before  me,  or  wait  twenty -four 
hours  after  my  departure,  whichever  she  may  prefer.  I  shall  be 
ready  for  sea  in  four  or  five  days,  as  soon  as  my  engineers  make 
some  necessary  repairs  to  my  machinery. 

In  conclusion,  it  is  quite  possible  that  the  captain  of  the  Iro 
quois  may  arrange  some  signals  for  giving  him  intelligence  of  my 
movements,  with  the  United  States  consul  at  this  port,  and  I  have 
therefore  to  request  that  some  officer  may  be  charged  with  the 
prevention  of  any  such  act  of  hostility. 

I  have  the  honour  to  be,  &c., 

(Signed)  R.  SEMMES. 

To  His  Excellency  M.  Maussion  de  Cond6, 

Admiral  and  Governor  of  Martinique. 

During  this  night  the  Iroquois  did  not  approach  us  so  near  as 
on  the  past  night.  Closed  in  the  gun-deck  ports,  got  the  swing 
ing  booms  alongside,  and  directed  the  crew,  in  case  of  being  called 
to  quarters  during  the  night,  to  repair  to  the  spar-deck  as  boarders, 
boarding  being  the  mode  in  which  the  enemy  would  attack  us,  if 
at  all.* 

*  On  the  Utli,  at  4  P.H  ,  when  we  had  nearly  finished  coaling  and  other 
arrangements  for  sea,  a  steamer  was  seen  rounding  the  north  point  of  the  island. 
She  was  under  Danish  colours,  and  had  made,  it  was  evident,  some  ludicrous 
attempts  at  disguising  herself — such,  for  instance,  as  a  studied  disarrange 
ment  of  her  yards,  and  some  alteration  of  her  head-booms.  I  was  under  the 
impression  at  the  time  that  we  were  very  old  birds  to  be  caught  with  such 
shaft0.  She  came  up  slowly  at  first,  evidently  not  seeing  us  as  we  lay  con 
cealed  in  the  shadow  of  the  hills ;  but  when  within  about  two  miles,  we 
could  see,  with  the  aid  of  our  glasses,  the  water  curling  from  her  bows,  and 
we  knew  that  the  Yankee  had  scented  his  prey ;  or,  to  employ  the  expres 
sive  phrase  of  our  rough  old  signal  quartermaster,  "  she  had  got  a  bone  in  her 
mouth."  All  the  good  citizens  of  St.  Pierre  came  down  to  the  beach  to  wit 
ness  the  scene,  and  a  great  many  indulged  their  aquatic  instincts  by  swim 
ming  out  to  us  to  await  the  denouement.  The  Iroquois  was  now  close  on  to 
us,  and  when  about  a  hundred  yards  distant,  hauled  down  the  Danish  colours, 
and  set  the  stars  and  stripes  in  their  place.  Thus  we  were  once  more  in  the 
presence  of  our  hated  foe. 


54         CRUISE  OF  THE   ALABAMA  AND  THE  SUMTER. 

Saturday,  November  IQtk. — The  Iroquois  ahead  of  us,  about  a 
mile  distant.  At  10  A.M.,  I  returned  the  visit  of  the  French 
commander.  I  pointed  out  to  him  the  insolent  manner  in  which 

The  Iroquois  is  one  of  the  new  class  of  gunboats,  powerfully  armed  with 
nine  and  eleven-inch  guns,  and  is  about  1000  tons  burden.  Her  crew  con 
sists  of  about  200  men  ;  and  we  knew  it  was  useless  for  the  Sumter  to  think 
of  lighting  her,  our  only  hope  of  escape  being  by  strategy.  The  enemy  stood 
in  close  to  the  land,  and  sent  a  boat  on  shore  to  communicate  with  the  U.S. 
Consul  and  the  French  authorities,  being,  however,  very  careful  not  to  drop 
anchor.  Captain  Palmer  informed  his  Excellency  the  Governor  that  there 
was  a  pirate  at  anchor  in  the  port  of  St.  Pierre,  and  requested  permission  to 
destroy  her ;  but  this  was  refused  emphatically,  and  the  irate  commander 
furnished  with  the  proclamation  of  his  Imperial  Majesty  Napoleon  III.,  accor 
ding  belligerent  rights  to  the  Confederate  States,  and  decreeing  strict  neutral 
ity  on  the  part  of  France.  He  was  informed  that  it  was  necessary  for  the 
Iroquois  either  to  cast  anchor,  or  leave  the  waters  of  the  isle,  and  if  accept 
ing  the  former  alternative,  that  an  interval  of  twenty-four  hours  must  elapse 
between  the  departure  of  either  belligerent;  also  that,  in  case  of  any  breach 
of  neutrality  occurring,  the  forts  would  open  on  the  offending  party.  AtW 
remaining  stationary  for  some  two  hours,  her  boat  returned.  The  Iroquoia 
stood  out  of  the  harbour,  taking  a  position  a  short  distance  ahead  of  us,  and 
commenced  backing  and  filling  across  our  bows.  Meanwhile  the  crew  of  "  the 
pirate"  were  not  idle ;  every  preparation  was  made  to  repel  boarders,  and 
to  defend  our  ship  to  the  last  extremity.  The  crew  were  inspected,  and 
every  man  seen  to  be  properly  armed  arid  equipped  for  action.  We  fully 
expected  an  attack  that  night,  and  remembered  the  threats  and  loud  preten 
sions  of  not  respecting  any  neutrality  which  prevented  them  from  destroying 
the  Sumter,  as  made  by  the  commander  of  the  Niagara,  and  the  redoubtable 
Porter  of  the  Powhattan, — this  latter  gentleman  having  actually  followed  us 
as  far  as  Maranham,  only  to  tind  the  people  Sumter- mad  on  his  arrival.  Very 
few  on  board  the  Sumter  that  night  felt  any  inclination  for  slumber;  the 
men  were  sitting  about  in  groups,  commenting  in  low  tones  on  the  con 
test  which  now  seemed  to  be  imminent ;  while  those  officers  who  were  at  lei 
sure  were  gathered  on  the  quarter-deck,  engaged  in  the  same  interesting  dis 
cussion. 

At  2  A.M.  the  word  was  passed  by  the  look-outs  forward  that  the  Yankee 
was  bearing  down  close  upon  us,  and  the  order  passed,  almost  in  a  whisper, 
"  to  go  to  quarters.1'  I  never  saw  men  obey  an  order  with  more  alacrity.  In 
a  few  minutes  the  boarders,  pikemen,  and  small-arm  men  were  ranged  in 
three  lines  close  to  our  low  rail,  to  await  his  attack,  all  preserving  a  perfect 
silence  that  seemed  doath-like.  When  about  twenty  feet  distant  from  us,  we 
hoard  the  deep  tones  of  her  bell  in  the  engine-room,  as  it  rang  the  order  to 
back ;  but  not  before  we  had  discovered  her  men  at  quarters,  and,  in  fact, 
presenting  every  appearance  of  a  ship  intending  to  board  an  enemy.  A 
single  stray  pistol-shot  would  have  brought  on  the  engagement,  and  to 
jml.ro  from  the  lights  and  signals  glancing  along  the  fortifications,  the 
Frenchmen  would  have  taken  a  hand,  too  The  appearance  of  our  decks 
next  morning  was  amusing.  The  men  were  strewn  about  promiscuously 
fully  armed  and  accoutred  for  battle,  endeavouring  to  obtain  some  rest;  a 
strunger  might  easily  have  imagined  us  to  be  a  buccaneer.  Captain  Palmer 
stated  next  day  that  he  was  afraid  we  would  board  him  in  boats,  when 
asked  the  meaning  of  his  threatening  manoeuvres;  but  it  was  difficult  to 


CRUISE  OF  THE  ALABAMA  AND  THE  SUMTER.    OO 

the  Iroqnois  was  violating  the  neutrality  of  the  port.  No  ad 
ditional  order  had  been  received  from  the  Governor.  Scraping 
and  painting  ship,  and  repairing  the  engine  to  put  it  in  thorough 
condition  for  service.  At  meridian  the  Iroquois  came  to  anchor 
about  half  a  mile  from  us,  at  the  man-of-war  anchorage.  The 
captain  of  the  Acheron  visited  me,  to  say  the  Governor  had 
directed  him  to  inform  me  that  if  I  preferred  it,  he  would  be  glad  to 
have  me  visit  Fort  de  France  with  my  ship,  where  he  could  afford 
me  more  ample  protection,  and  whither,  he  presumed,  the  Iroquois 
would  not  follow  me  ;  and  if  she  did,  that  he  would  compel  her  to 
depart  from  French  waters. 

I  replied  that  before  deciding  upon  this  invitation,  I  would  wait 
and  see  whether  the  Iroquois  accepted  the  condition  of  remaining 
twentv-four  hours  after  my  departure,  or  departing  twenty-four 
hours  before  me.  The  Iroquois  got  under  way  again  immediately 
after  anchoring,  and  in  the  evening  the  captain  of  the  Acheron  sent 
a  lieutenant  on  board  of  me,  to  say  that  the  commander  of  the 
Iroquois  refused  to  accept  the  condition,  and  that  he  had  been 
directed  to  withdraw  himself  beyond  the  marine  league  in  conse 
quence.  She  remained  a  few  hours  to  supply  herself  with  refresh 
ments,  and  as  night  fell  took  her  station ;  but  not  at  the  distance 
of  a  marine  league  during  the  night. 

We  have  thus  taught  this  ignoramus  Yankee  captain  some 
knowledge  of,  and  some  respect  for,  the  laws  of  neutrality.  In 
the  afternoon  I  took  a  delightful  stroll  along  the  beach  northward. 

Sunday,  November  \7th. — Morning  fine.  Visited  the  church 
opposite  the  ship,  and  heard  mass.  The  congregation  was  very 
large,  composed  chiefly  of  blacks — women.  We  were  politely 
shown  into  the  trustees'  pew.  A  short  sermon,  chiefly  addressed 
to  some  young  persons  who  had  just  made  their  first  communion, 
was  delivered  by  a  good-looking  young  priest,  who  had  fair  com 
mand  of  language,  and  was  easy  and  graceful  in  his  manner. 

A  sort  of  police  officer  or  fugleman  officiated  here,  as  at  Fort 

believe  that  the  commander  of  a  ship  of  war  would  make  such  a  flimsy 
excuse ;  and  let  us  hope  for  his  own  credit  that  he  did  not  really  believe  his 
own  statement.  The  demeanour  of  the  crew  was  most  satisfactory.  No 
noise  or  bustle  could  be  noticed;  but  a  quiet,  firm  determination  was 
expressed  in  the  countenance  of  each  man  to  defend  our  noble  little  ship  to 
the  bitter  end,  and  never  strike  our  flag  to  the  foe.  These  flagrant  violations 
of  neutrality  greatly  irritated  the  inhabitants,  and  the  better  portion  of  them 
threw  off  their  thin  mask  of  indifference,  and  openly  expressed  sympathy  for 
us  Some  were  so  excited  as  to  volunteer  to  go  with  us;  but  their  kind 
offers  were  not  accepted.  The  negroes,  however,  did  not  seem  to  recognise 
us  for  what  we  really  are,  their  best  friends,  but  were  somewhat  opposed  to 
the  Sumter ;  and  their  allegiance  to  our  enemy  was  made  the  subject  of  one 
of  Captain  Palmer's  voluminous  despatches  to  Mr.  Gideon  Welles. — Indtx. 


56         CKUISE   OF  THE  ALABAMA  AND  THE  SUMTER. 

Royal — a  feature  which  I  did  not  like.     The  Iroquois  preserves 
her  distance  by  daylight. 

Monday,  November  18^. — The  enemy  cruising  off  the  harbour 
as  usual.  During  the  morning  a  French  man-of-war  schooner 
arrived  from  Fort  de  France,  with  the  Governor  on  board  (who 
visits  St.  Pierre  to  distribute  premiums  to  the  schools),  and  about 
one  hundred  troops  to  reinforce  the  fort.  Repairing  our  machinery 
and  painting  ship.  Some  boatmen  have  been  imprisoned  by  the 
authorities  for  going  out  to  the  enemy.  At  nightfall  the  Director  of 
the  Customs  came  off  to  see  me,  and  said  that  the  Governor  had 
told  him  he  expected  to  see  the  Captain  of  the  Sumter  at  his  (the 
Director's)  house;  adding,  that  he  said  this  of  his  own  accord — 
the  Governor  not  having  authorized  him  to  say  as  much  to  me.  I 
took  the  hint,  and  went  on  shore  at  8  P.M.,  accompanied  by  my 
clerk,  to  call  on  his  Excellency.  He  did  not  seem  to  have  any 
thing  in  particular  to  say,  except  to  renew  his  invitation  for  me  to 
go  to  Fort  de  France  in  my  ship,  which  I  declined,  on  the  ground 
that  this  would  be  a  more  convenient  port  from  which  to  escape, 
and  one  affording  more  facilities  for  the  repairs  of  my  engine.  He 
told  me  that  the  Captain  of  the  Iroquois  pleaded  ignorance  as  to 
his  violation  of  the  neutrality  of  the  port ;  but  added,  he  knew 
better.  An  American  (enemy)  schooner  got  under  way  at  dusk, 
and  stood  out  to  the  Iroquois,  where  she  remained  about  an  hour 
before  proceeding  on  her  cruise  to  the  northward  and  westward. 

Tuesday,  November  \9th. — Some  surf  observable  this  morning, 
increasing  until  about  4  P.M.  ;  the  wind  variable,  settling  for  a 
short  time  in  the  south-east.  I  became  anxious  on  account  of  my 
berth,  which  was  represented  to  me  as  insecure,  in  case  of  a  blow 
from  seaward.  I  sent  and  got  a  pilot  on  board,  but  when  he  came 
he  said  he  thought  we  should  not  have  bad  weather;  and  as  by 
this  time  the  sea  had  gone  down,  I  was  of  his  opinion,  and  con 
cluded  to  remain  at  my  anchors  for  the  present,  especially  as  the 
repairs  to  our  machinery  would  be  finished  by  to-morrow  evening. 
Heavy  rain  in  the  evening.  The  Iroquois  within  the  marine 
league.  Visited  by  the  commander  of  the  French  schooner  of 
war,  whom  we  called  on  yesterday.  About  10  P.M.  the  British 
mail  steamer  arrived  from  St.  Thomas.  Sent  a  boat  on  board  of 
her,  and  got  English  papers  to  the  1st  November.  She  brings 
intelligence  of  the  enemy's  steamer  St.  Jacinto,  having  boarded 
an  English  steam-packet,  and  taken  out  of  her  Messrs.  Slidell  and 
Mason,  who  had  been  carried  to  the  Havannah  by  the  Nashville. 
The  English  people  will  regard  this  as  an  insult  to  their  flag,  and 
in  this  way  it  may  do  us  good.  Night  clear ;  moon  rising  a  little 
before  eight.  Not  quite  darkness  enough  for  our  purpose  yet. 


CRUISE  OF  THE  ALABAMA  AND   THE  SUMTER.         57 

Wednesday,  November  2Qth. — Morning  clear ;  wind  variable. 
The  Iroquois  never  loses  sight  of  us,  violating  the  neutrality  of 
the  port  by  night  by  coming  within  the  marine  league  to  observe 
us.  Sent  the  engineer  on  shore  to  hurry  the  repair  of  his  pumps. 
Loosed  sails.  Furled  at  meridian,  and  ordered  the  fires  to  be 
lighted  at  1  P.M.  ;  the  weather  looking  unsettled,  heeled  the  ship 
and  scraped  the  grass  off  her  port  side  near  the  water-line.  The 
Iroquois  crawled  in  again  last  night  within  about  a  mile  and  a  half. 
As  it  was  cloudy  we  lost  sight  of  her  in  the  early  part  of  the  night 
for  the  first  time. 

Thursday,  November  *2lst. — Cloudy,  with  slight  showers  of 
rain.  Drew  the  charges  from  the  battery  and  reloaded  it;  and 
examined  and  put  in  order  for  action  the  small  arms.  Got  up 
some  barrels  of  salt  provisions  and  arranged  them  on  each  side  of 
the  quarter-deck  to  trim  ship.  She  lay  an  inch  or  two  too  much  by 
the  head.  A  boat  employed  filling  up  our  water.  Changed  our 
fasts  to  the  shores  in  readiness  for  a  move.  Hurrying  the  engineer 
with  his  work.  I  fear  every  moment  to  see  another  enemy's  ship 
arrive.  During  the  morning  the  Governor  returned  in  the  Acheron 
to  Fort  de  France.  In  the  afternoon  the  Acheron  came  back. 
Wrote  a  note  to  the  latter  complaining  of  the  continued  violation 
of  the  neutrality  of  the  port  by  the  enemy's  ship.  Engineer  not 
ready,  so  we  are  obliged  to  lie  over  another  day. 

C.  8.  Steamer  Sumter,  St  Pierre, 
Nov.  21st,  1861. 

SIR, — It  becomes  my  duty  to  complain  of  the  continued  viola 
tion  of  the  neutrality  of  this  port,  and  of  my  right  of  asylum,  by 
the  enemy's  steam  sloop  of  war  the  Iroquois. 

This  vessel,  in  shameful  disregard  of  the  warnings  she  has  re 
ceived  from  his  Excellency  the  Governor,  comes  every  night,  under 
cover  of  the  darkness,  within  a  mile  and  a-half,  or  less,  of  the  an 
chorage.  Last  night,  at  nine  o'clock,  she  was  seen  from  my  deck 
with  the  naked  eye,  assisted  by  an  occasional  flash  of  lightning ; 
and  as  the  night  was  comparatively  obscure,  no  vessel,  not  being 
under  sail,  could  have  been  seen  at  a  greater  distance  than  from  a 
mile  to  a  mile  and  a  quarter. 

I  have  besides  to  inform  you,  that  two  small  boats  communi 
cated  with  the  enemy  in  broad  daylight  yesterday,  one  of  them 
pulling,  upon  leaving  her,  to  the  north  point,  and  the  other  to  the 
south  point,  of  the  harbour. 

I  have,  &c.,  &cn 
(Signed)  K.  SKMMBS. 

To  M.  Duchaxel, 
Commander  of  Hia  French  Majesty's  steamer,  L'Acheron. 

3* 


58         CRUISE  OF  THE  ALABAMA  AND  THE   SUMTEK. 

Friday,  November  llnd. — The  enemy  about  two  and  a  half 
miles  distant.  The  engineer  will  be  ready  to-day,  and,  God  willing, 
we  will  get  out  to-night.  Wrote  to  the  captain  of  the  Acheron, 
in  reply  to  the  position  assumed  by  the  governor  : — 

C.  S.  Steamer  Sumter,  St.  Pierre. 
Nov.  22nd,  1861. 

SIR, — I  have  had  the  honour  to  receive  your  letter  of  yesterday, 
in  which  you  communicate  to  me  the  views  of  the  Governor  of  Mar 
tinique  relative  to  the  protection  of  my  right  of  asylum  in  the  waters 
of  this  island  ;  and  I  regret  to  say  that  those  views  do  not  appear  to 
me  to  come  up  to  the  requirements  of  the  international  code.  The 
Governor  says,  "  that  it  does  not  enter  into  his  intentions  to  exer 
cise  towards  the  Iroquois,  either  by  night  or  by  day,  so  active  a 
surveillance  as  you  desire."  And  you  tell  me  that  "  we  ought  to 
have  confidence  in  the  strict  execution  of  a  promise  made  by  a 
commander  in  the  military  marine  of  the  American  Union,  so  long 
as  he  has  not  shown  to  us  evidence  that  this  engagement  has  not 
been  scrupulously  fulfilled."  It  would  appear  from  these  expres 
sions  that  the  only  protection  I  am  to  receive  against  the  block 
ade  of  the  enemy  is  a  simple  promise  exacted  from  that  enemy, 
that  he  will  keep  himself  without  the  marine  league  of  the  land; 
the  Governor  in  the  meantime  exercising  no  watch  by  night  or  by 
day  to  see  whether  this*  promise  is  complied  with.  In  addition  to 
the  facts  related  by  me  yesterday,  I  have  this  morning  to  report 
that  one  of  my  officers,  being  on  shore  in  the  northern  environs 
of  the  town  last  night,  between  eight  and  nine  o'clock,  saw  two 
boats,  each  pulling  eight  oars,  the  men  dressed  in  dark  clothing, 
with  the  caps  usually  worn  by  seamen  of  the  Northern  States, 
pulling  quietly  in  towards  the  beach.  He  distinctly  heard  a  con 
versation  between  them  in  English,  one  of  them  saying — "  Harry, 
there  she  is;  I  see  her" — in  allusion,  doubtless,  to  the  presence 
of  my  vessel.  These  boats,  no  doubt,  have  orders  to  make  signal 
to  the  Iroquois  the  moment  they  discover  me  under  way.  Now, 
with  all  due  deference  to  his  Excellency  the  Governor,  I  cannot  see 
the  difference  between  the  violation  of  the  neutrality  of  these 
waters  by  the  enemy's  boats,  and  by  his  ship.  And  if  no  strict 
eurveillance  is  to  be  "  exercised  either  by  night  or  by  day,"  I  am 
receiving  very  much  such  protection  as  the  wolf  would  accord  to 
the  lamb.  Is  it  an  act  of  love  for  the  enemy  to  approach  me  with 
his  boats  for  the  purpose  of  reconnaissance,  and  especially  during 
the  night  ?  and  I  have  the  same  right  to  demand  that  he  keep  his 
boats  beyond  the  marine  league  as  that  he  keep  his  ship  at  that 
distance.  Nor  am  I  willing  to  rely  upon  his  promise,  that  he  will 


CRUISE  OF  THE  ALABAMA  AND  THE  SUMTER.    59 

not  infringe  my  rights  in  this  particular.  It  appears  to  me  fur 
ther,  especially  after  the  knowledge  of  the  facts  which  I  have 
brought  to  your  notice,  that  it  is  the  duty  of  France  to  exercise 
surveillance  over  her  own  water,  "both  by  night  and  by  day," 
when  an  enemy's  cruiser  is  blockading  a  friendly  belligerent,  who 
has  sought  the  asylum  in  those  waters  accorded  to  him  by  the 
law  of  nations.  I  have,  therefore,  respectfully  to  request  that  you 
will  keep  a  watch  by  means  of  guard  boats,  at  both  points  of  this 
harbour,  to  prevent  the  repetition  of  the  hostile  act  which  was 
committed  against  me  last  night;  or,  if  you  will  not  do  this  your 
self,  that  you  will  permit  me  to  arm  boats  and  capture  the  enemy 
when  so  approaching  me.  It  would  seem  quite  plain,  either  that 
I  should  be  protected,  or  be  permitted  to  protect  myself.  Fur 
ther,  it  is  in  plain  violation  of  neutrality  for  the  enemy  to  be  in 
daily  communication  with  the  shore,  whether  by  means  of  his  own 
boats,  or  boats  from  the  shore.  If  he  needs  supplies,  it  is  his 
duty  to  come  in  for  them;  and  if  he  comes  in,  he  must  anchor; 
and  if  he  anchor,  he  must  accept  the  condition  of  remaining 
twenty-four  hours  after  my  departure.  It  is  a  mere  subterfuge  for 
him  to  remain  in  the  offing,  and  supply  himself  with  all  he  needs, 
besides  reconnoitreing  me  closely  by  means  of  boats.  I  protest 
against  this  act  also.  I  trust  you  will  excuse  me  for  having  occu 
pied  so  much  of  your  time  by  so  lengthy  a  communication,  but  I 
deem  it  my  duty  to  place  myself  right  upon  the  record  in  this 
matter.  I  shall  seize  an  early  opportunity  to  sail  from  these 
waters ;  and  if  I  should  be  brought  to  a  bloody  conflict  with  an 
enemy,  of  twice  my  force,  by  means  of  signals  given  him  in  the 
waters  of  France,  either  by  his  own  boats  or  others',  I  wish  my 
government  to  know  that  I  protested  against  the  unfriendly 
ground  assumed  by  the  Governor,  that  "  it  does  not  enter  into  his 
intentions  to  exercise  towards  the  Iroquois  either  by  night  or  by 
day,  so  active  a  surveillance  as  you  [I]  require." 

I  have  the  honour  to  be,  &c.,  &c., 

(Signed)  R.  SEMMES. 


M.  Duchaxel, 

Commander  of  H.I.M.  Steamer,  L' Acheron. 


C.  S.  Steamer  Sumter,  St.  Pierre, 
Nov.  23,  1861. 


) — I  have  the  honor  to  inform  you  that  the  pilot  of  the 
enemy's  steamer  Iroquois  habitually  spends  his  time  on  shore  in 
this  port ;  and  that  last  night  he  slept  on  board  the  enemy's  top- 
bail  schooner  moored  near  the  beach,  in  the  vicinity  of  the  Eng 
lish  barque  Barracouta.  I  have  ample  evidence  outside  of  my 
ship  to  establish  these  facts.  Now,  it  must  be  obvious  to  you  that 


60         CKUISE   OF  THE  ALABAMA  AND  THE  SUMTEK. 

the  enemy  has  sent  this  man  into  French  waters  to  act  as  a  spy 
upon  my  movements ;  and  he  has,  no  doubt,  in  his  possession 
rockets  or  other  signals,  with  which  to  communicate  my  departure 
to  his  ship.  This  man,  though  only  a  pilot,  and  temporarily  em 
ployed  on  board  the  Iroquois,  is  in  law  as  much  an  officer  of  that 
ship,  for  the  time  being,  as  any  one  of  her  lieutenants. 

The  case,  then,  may  be  stated  thus : — A  lieutenant  of  the  Iro 
quois  not  only  spends  his  time  habitually  on  shore,  but  sleeps  at 
night  on  board  another  vessel  of  the  enemy,  instead  of  sleeping 
at  a  hotel,  the  better  to  enable  him  to  observe  my  movements,  and 
communicate  them  to  his  ship.  And  yet  all  this  is  permitted  by 
the  authorities  ! 

I  most  respectfully  but  earnestly  protest  against  this  violation 
of  my  rights.  As  I  stated  in  my  letter  of  yesterday,  an  act  of 
reconnaissance  (and  still  more  an  act  of  reconnaissance  for  the 
purpose  of  giving  information  by  signal)  is  an  act  of  war ;  and 
will  France  permit  an  act  of  war  to  be  committed  against  me  in 
her  own  waters,  and  under  the  eye  of  her  authorities,  civil  and 
military  ? 

In  conclusion,  I  request  that  you  will  issue  an  order,  requiring 
this  spy  to  depart  to  his  ship,  and  that  you  will  also  take  the 
proper  steps  to  prevent  the  schooner  in  which  he  stays  from  mak 
ing  any  signals  to  the  enemy. 

I  have  the  honor  to  be,  &c.,  <fec., 

(Signed)  R.  SEMMES. 

M.  Duchaxel, 

Commander  of  H.I.M.  Steamer,  L'Acheron. 

NOTE. — The  Sumter  went  to  sea  from  the  port  of  St.  Pierre  on 
the  evening  (8  o'clock)  of  the  date  of  the  preceding  letter,  and, 
as  was  predicted,  the  light  was  burned  on  board  the  American 
schooner  to  signal  her  departure  to  the  Iroquois. 

R.  S. 

Muffled  the  windlass.  Getting  on  board  some  water.  Last 
night,  between  eight  and  nine  o'clock,  the  engineer  being  on 
shore,  near  the  north  end  of  the  town,  saw  two  of  the  Iroquois' 
touts,  and  he'ard  one  of  them  say  to  the  other,  "  Harry,  that's  she 
— I  see  her  :"  in  allusion,  doubtless,  to  the  presence  of  this  ves 
sel.  We  were  all  very  anxious  as  the  night  approached  as  to  the 
state  of  the  weather;  and  lo !  for  the  first  time  in  five  or  six 
days,  we  had  a  beautiful  star-light  night,  without  a  speck  of  cloud 
anywhere  to  be  seen.  The  enemy  continued  plain  in  sight,  and 
our  black  smoke,  as  it  issued  from  the  stack,  would  have  betrayed 


CRUISE  OF  THE  ALABAMA  AND  THE  SUMTEB.    61 

us  at  a  distance  of  five  miles.     We  were  therefore  reluctantly 
compelled  to  give  up  the  attempt. 

Saturday,  November  23rd. — Beautiful  clear  morning,  with  every 
appearance  of  settled  weather.  Fine  starlit  nights  and  clear  set 
tled  days,  though  very  pleasant  to  the  lover  of  nature,  are  not 
quite  such  weather  as  we  require  for  running  a  blockade  by  a  ship 
which  keeps  herself  in  plain  sight  of  us,  and  which  has  the  heels 
of  us.  But  we  must  have  patience,  and  bide  our  time.  Several 
sail  have  come  in  and  departed  during  the  last  twenty-four  hours. 
The  enemy  in  the  offing  as  usual.  Towards  noon  it  began  to 
cloud  up,  and  we  had  some  rain,  and  I  had  strong  hopes  that  we 
should  have  a  cloudy,  dark  night.  The  moon  would  not  rise 
until  seven  minutes  past  eleven,  and  if  we  could  be  aided  by  a  few 
clouds  we  should  have  sufficient  darkness;  for  be  it  known  that  in 
these  tropical  climates,  where  almost  every  star  is  a  moon,  there 
is  no  such  thing  as  darkness  when  the  firmament  is  clear.  But 
my  hopes  began  to  fade  with  the  day,  for  one  cloud  disappeared 
after  another,  as  the  sun  went  down,  until  the  night  promised  to 
be  as  serene  and  bright  as  the  last.  Venus,  too,  looked  double 
her  usual  size,  and  being  three  hours  bright  at  sunset,  poured  forth 
a  flood  of  light,  little  less  than  that  of  the  moon  in  a  northern 
latitude.  Notwithstanding  all  these  discouragements,  however,  I 
resolved  to  attempt  the  run,  and  having  made  all  the  necessary 
preparations  silently,  so  as  not  to  awaken  the  suspicions  of  the 
townspeople,  who  were  always  on  the  alert,  at  about  five  minutes 
before  eight  o'clock  gun-fire,  I  directed  the  chain  to  be  slipped,  and 
the  fasts  to  the  shore  cut,  and  put  her  under  steam.  The  enemy 
being  on  my  starboard  bow,  and  apparently  standing  towards  the 
north  point  of  the  roadstead,  I  headed  her  for  the  south  point, 
giving  her  full  steam.  So  much  on  the  qui  vive  were  the  towns 
people,  that  we  had  scarcely  moved  twenty  yards  when  a  shout 
rent  the  air,  and  there  was  a  confused  murmur  of  voices,  as  if 
Babel  had  been  let  loose.  As  we  neared  the  French  steamer  of 
war,  Acheron,  signals  were  made  to  the  enemy  by  means  of  blue 
lights  from  one  of  the  Yankee  schooners  in  port :  perceiving 
which,  and  knowing  that  the  signals  were  so  arranged  as  to 
designate  our  direction,  after  moving  a  few  hundred  yards  further, 
I  doubled,  and  came  back  under  cover  of  the  land,  while  I  stopped 
once  or  twice  to  assure  myself  that  the  enemy  was  continuing  his 
course  in  the  opposite  direction,  in  obedience  to  his  signals;  when, 
as  soon  as  the  engineer  could  do  so  (for  he  had  to  cool  his  bear 
ings,  and  this  was  truly  an  anxious  moment  for  me),  I  gave  her 
all  steam,  and  stood  for  the  north  end  of  the  island.  As  we 
approached  it,  the  Fates,  which  had  before  seemed  unpropitious  to 


62         CRUISE  OF  THE   ALABAMA   AND  THE  SUMTEB. 

us  began  to  smile,  and  the  rain-squall,  which  had  come  np  quite 
unexpectedly,  began  to  envelope  us  in  its  friendly  folds,  shutting 
in  our  dense  clouds  of  black  smoke,  which  were  really  the  wont 
tell-tales  we  had  to  dread.  The  first  half-hour's  run  was  a  very 
anxious  one  lor  us ;  hot  aa  we  began  to  lose  sight  of  the  lights  of 
the  town  and  to  draw  away  from  the  land,  we  knew  that  the  ene 
my  had  been  caught  in  his  own  trap,  and  that  we  had  successfuJiv 
eluded  him.  I  had  warned  the  French  authorities  that  their 
neutrality  would  be  disregarded,  and  that  these  fgraln  would  be 
made.  The  commander  of  the  Iroquois  had  been  guilty  of  a 
shameful  violation  of  good  faith  towards  the  French  naval  officer, 
to  whom  he  made  a  promise  that  he  would  respect  the  neutrality 
of  the  port,  by  sending  his  pilot  on  shore,  and  arranging  these 
signals  with  the  Yankee  skippers.  Yankee  faith  and  Punic  faith 
aeon  to  be  on  a  par.  Our  ship  made  good  speed,  though  she 
was  very  deep,  and  by  half-past  eleven  we  made  np  with  the 
south  end  of  Dominica.  Here  the  wind  fell,  and  we  ran  along 
the  coast  of  the  island  in  a  smooth  sea,  not  more  than  four  or  five 
miles  from  the  land.  The  moon  by  this  time  being  up,  the  bold 
and  picturesque  outlines  of  this  island,  softened  by  the  rains  and 
wreathed  in  fleecy  clouds,  presented  a  beautiful  night-scene. 

The  sleeping  town  of  Rousseau  barely  showed  us  the  glimmer 
of  a  light,  and  we  passed  but  one  coasting  schooner.  At  2  A.M., 
we  were  off  the  north  end  of  the  island,  but  now  heavy  rain- 
squalls  came  up,  and  rendered  it  so  thick,  that  we  were  obliged  to 
slow  down,  and  even  stop  the  engine,  it  being  too  thick  to  run. 
The  squall  lighting  up  a  little,  we  endeavoured  to  feel  our  way  in 
the  dark ;  mistook  the  south  for  the  north  end  of  Prince  Rupert's 
Bay,  and  only  discovered  our  mistake  when  we  had  gotten  fear 
fully  near  the  shore,  and  had  whitened  our  water!  Hauled  her 
broad  out,  and  again  put  her  under  very  slow  steam.  The  wiathfr 
now  lighting  np  more,  we  put  her  under  headway  again,  doubled 
the  island,  and  shaped  our  course  E.  by  N.  It  was  now  4*30 
Ajt,  and  I  went  below  and  turned  in.  Deo  gratia*.  Poor  D., 
the  quartermaster,  I  had  to  depose  him  from  his  high  office 
of  night  look-out  this  night.  He  had  been  remarked  for  his  keen 
vision  by  night;  bat  on  this  occasion  he  was  so  perturbed,  that  he 
saw  a  steamer  bearing  down  upon  him  from  every  direction — even 
magnifying  small  sloops  into  frigates.  The  evening  of  this  day 
was  lovely,  and  I  think  I  have  never  seen  a  more  beautiful,  seda 
tive,  poetic,  love-in-a-cottage  landscape,  than  the  valleys  and  hills 
presented  in  which  lies  the  town  of  St.  Pierre.  All  these  charms 
were  heightened  by  the  presence  of  grim-visaged  war.  Our  run 
took  every  one  by  surprise — several  of  the  officers  had  breakfast 


CRUISE   OF  THE   ALABAMA  AND  THE  SUMTER.          63 

and  dinner  appointments  for  several  days  ahead.  My  crew 
seem  to  be  highly  delighted  at  oar  success  in  "  doing  the  Yan 
kee  ;"  but  I  am  not  sure  that  an  old  boatswain Vmate,  and  a  hard, 
weather-beaten  quartermaster,  who  had  shaved  their  heads  for  a 
close  fight,  were  not  disappointed  that  it  did  not  come  off. 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

Again  at  sea — Two  captures — The  Montmorency — The  Arcade — East 
ward,  ho! — The  Vigilant  token — News  from  home — Dirty  weather — 
The  whale — Ebenezer  Dodge — In  irons — A  cyclone  —  The  gale  rages — 
Fire! — Christmas  day — No  luck — The  clank  of  the  pumps—  Cadiz. 

ONCE  more  afloat  on  the  open  sea ;  and  at  4  P.M.  of  Monday 
November  25th,  a  promising  commencement  was  made  in  the 
capture  of  the  fine  ship  Montmorency,  of  1183  tons,  laden  with 
Welsh  coal  for  the  English  Mail  Packet  service.  And,  fortunately 
rto  for  her,  or  she  would  have  shared  the  fate  of  the  Golden  Ba 
lance,  the  Daniel  Trowbridge,  and  other  "  burnt  offerings"  of  the 
little  Sumter.  As  it  was,  she  paid  a  light  toll  in  the  shape  of 
small  supplies  of  paint,  cordage,  &c.,  and  entering  into  a  ransom 
bond  for  20,000  dollars,  to  be  paid  to  the  Confederate  States  Gov 
ernment  at  the  end  of  the  war,  her  captain  and  crew  were  paroled, 
and  she  herself  permitted  to  proceed  on  her  voyage. 

At  1.30  P.M.,  on  the  26th  November — writes  Captain  Semmes 
— showed  first  the  United  States  and  then  our  own  colours  to  an 
English  schooner,  probably  from  the  Bahamas  to  the  Windward 
Islands,  and  at  three  captured  the  United  States  schooner  Arcade 
from  Portland,  Maine,  to  Port  au  Prince,  Guadaloupe,  loaded  with 
stores.  The  master  and  half-owner  of  the  schooner  was  Master  of 
the  barque  Saxony  at  the  time  of  the  loss  of  the  Central  America, 
and  was  instrumental  in  saving  lives  on  that  occasion,  for  which  a 
handsome  telescope  had  been  presented  to  him.  I  had  the  plea 
sure  of  returning  the  glass  to  him,  captured  among  the  other 
effects  of  his  vessel. 

Took  the  master  and  crew  on  board  (a  rough  sea  running),  and 
set  fire  to  her.  At  4.40  stood  on  our  course.  The  blaze  of  the 
burning  vessel  stil!  in  sight  at  8  P.M.  During  the  night  the  wind 
lulled  and  became  variable.  Hauled  down  the  fore  and  aft  sails, 
and  steered  N.E.  The  prize  had  no  newspapers  on  board,  but  we 


64         CKUISE  OF  THE  ALABAMA  AND  THE  SUMTER. 

learned  from  the  master  that  the  great  naval  expedition  which  the 
enemy  had  been  some  time  preparing  had  struck  at  Beaufort, 
South  Carolina,  on  Port  Royal  Sound.  No  result  known. 

After  five  days  of  hard  fighting  with  the  strong  N.E.  trade, 
blowing  for  the  most  part  half  a  gale  of  wind,  and  with  thick  and 
dirty  weather,  the  enemy  is  at  length  overcome,  the  sky  clears, 
and  the  Sumter's  head  is  turned  towards  Europe.  And  now  for 
a  time  Yankee  commerce  was  to  have  a  respite,  its  relentless  little 
enemy  directing  its  attention  exclusively  towards  maturing  her 
voyage  across  the  Atlantic.  She  had  at  this  time  but  sixty  days' 
water  for  her  own  crew,  in  addition  to  whom  there  were  now  the 
six  prisoners  taken  from  the  schooner.  The  passage,  too,  would 
have  to  be  made  for  the  most  part  under  canvas,  and  would  proba 
bly  not  occupy  less  than  fifty  days.  Of  course,  she  had  now  but 
six  or  seven  days'  supply  of  coal — a  small  reserve  in  case  of  emer 
gency,  and  hardly  sufficient  to  enable  her  to  cruise  a  few  days  on 
the  other  side,  and,  if  possible,  not  go  quite  "empty-handed"  into 
port. 

Still  the  days  were  not  altogether  uneventful,  and  before  the 
week  was  out,  a  fine  prize  ran,  as  it  were,  into  her  very  arms. 
Of  this  capture  the  journal  gives  the  following  account : — 

Tuesday,  December  3rd. — At  6.30  A.M.  Sail,  ho !  a  point  on  the 
starboard  bow.  At  7.30  the  sail,  which  was  standing  in  nearly 
the  opposite  direction  from  ourselves,  approached  us  within  a 
couple  of  miles.  We  hoisted  French  colours,  when  she  showed 
United  States'.  Took  in  all  the  studding  sails,  hauled  by  the 
wind,  tacked,  and  fired  a  shotted  gun.  The  stranger  immediately 
hove  to.  Lowered  a  boat,  and  sent  a  lieutenant  on  board  of  him. 
Stood  on  and  tacked,  and  having  brought  the  stranger  under  my 
guns,  I  began  to  feel  sure  of  him  (our  smoke  stack  was  down,  and 
we  could  not  have  raised  steam  in  less  than  two  hours  and  a  half). 
He  proved  to  be  the  ship  Vigilant,,  of  Bath,  Maine,  bound  from 
New  York  to  the  guano  island  of  Sombrero,  in  ballast.  Captured 
him.  Took  from  o-n  board  chronometer,  charts,  &c.,  and  a  nine- 
pounder  rifled  gun,  with  ammunition,  <fec.  Set  him  on  fire,  and  at 
3  P.M.  made  sail.  This  was  a  fine  new  ship,  being  only  two  years 
old,  and  worth  about  40,000  dollars. 

Lat.  29.10  N.,  Long.  57.22  VV.  Steering  E.  by  N.  We  received 
a  large  supply  of  New  York  papers  to  the  21st  November.  We 
learned  from  these  papers  that  the  San  Jacinto  was  in  search  of 
us  when  she  took  Messrs.  Mason  and  Slidell  from  on  board  the 
Trent.  The  enemy  has  thus  done  us  the  honour  to  send  in  pur- 


CRUISE   OF  THE  ALABAMA  AND  THE  SUMTER.         65 

suit  of  us  the  Powhattan,  the  Niagara,  the  Iroquois,  the  Keystone 
State,  and  the  San  Jacinto. 

Dirty  weather  now  for  several  days,  the  little  vessel  rolling  and 
straining,  and  withal  beginning  to  leak  to  an  extent  which  caused 
no  small  anxiety  to  those  in  command.  Still,  however,  she  was 
quite  up  to  mischief,  and  on  the  8th  December,  the  Ebenezer 
Dodge,  twelve  days  from  New  Bedford,  bound  to  the  Pacific  on  a 
whaling  voyage,  was  added  to  the  fatal  list.  Forty-three  prisoners 
were  now  on  board,  cooped  up  with  the  crew  in  the  narrow  berth 
deck,  when  the  weather  forbade  their  appearance  on  deck,  and  the 
little  Sumter  was  beginning  to  feel  herself  overcrowded. 

It  became  necessary  to  adopt  precautions,  and  one  half  the  prison 
ers  were  now  kept  constantly  in  single  irons,  taking  it  turn  and 
turn  about  to  submit  to  the  necessary  but  disagreeable  infliction. 
The  wind,  too,  hung  perseveringly  in  the  east,  and  things  were 
getting  uncomfortable.  They  were  destined,  as  the  following  ex 
tracts  will  show,  to  be  yet  more  so. 

Wednesday,  December  11  th. — As  ugly-looking  a  morning  as 
one  could  well  conceive.  Thick,  dark,  gloomy  weather,  with  the 
wind  blowing  fresh  from  the  east,  and  threatening  a  gale  (bar. 
29-70  and  falling)  and  a  steady  but  moderate  rain  falling.  Put  the 
ship  under  short  sail.  Our  large  number  of  prisoners  renders  the 
crew  very  uncomfortable  during  this  bad  weather.  At  meridian, 
gale  blowing,  with  thick,  driving  rain.  Lat.  32°48'N.,  Long.  49° 
32' W.  D.  R.  At  2  P.M.,  dense  clouds  hanging  very  low  all  around 
the  horizon  in  every  direction.  Wind  about  E.S.E.,  inclined  to 
haul  to  the  southward.  Bar.  29'59.  The  pall  of  clouds  is  not  so 
dense  as  at  noon,  and  the  rain  comes  only  occasionally  in  squalls. 
The  clouds  are  rifted,  and  appear  to  be  on  the  point  of  rapid  mo 
tion.  Wore  ship  to  the  northward  and  eastward.  The  wind  soon 
after  backed  to  the  northward  and  eastward,  and  we  had  to  run 
the  ship  off  N.  W.  for  a  while.  Towards  night,  however,  the  wind 
went  back  to  E.,  and  blew  very  fiercely,  raising  very  heavy  and 
irregular  sea-squalls  of  rain.  The  lightning  was  very  vivid.  It 
blew  very  heavily  until  about  1  A.M.,  when  it  abated  for  more  than 
two  hours,  blowing  only  in  puffs,  and  then  not  very  hard.  Near 
the  centre  of  the  cyclone,  lowest  barometer.  A  little  past  mid 
night  a  quartermaster  entered  with  the  report  that  the  starboard  - 
bow  port  had  been  stove  in  !  It  was  then  blowing  furiously.  I 
immediately  despatched  the  first  lieutenant  to  barricade  the  port 
and  stop  out  the  water  as  effectually  as  possible,  in  which  he  suc 
ceeded  pretty  well.  This  report  gave  me  considerable  anxiety,  as 


66         CRUISE   OF  THE   ALABAMA  AND  THE   SUMTER. 

the  ports  in  the  gnn-deck  and  the  uppermost  works  of  the  ship 
are  her  weak  points  at  which  the  gale  would  assault  her  with  most 
effect.  In  the  meantime  the  barometer  has  been  gradually  settling, 
settling,  settling — sometimes  remaining  stationary  for  several  hours 
and  then  going  down  as  before.  At  8  P.M.  it  was  29*53.  We 
had  an  awful  night — no  one  able  to  sleep. 

Thursday,  December  I2th. — Thick,  gloomy  weather,  with  the 
gale  raging  as  fiercely  as  ever.  It  blew  very  heavily  all  the  morn 
ing.  The  Barometer  continued  to  sink  until  it  reached  29'32 — at 
6  A.M.  its  lowest  point.  The  wind  has  hauled  to  the  south.  We 
.are  evidently  in  a  cyclone,  having  taken  it  in  its  northern  quarter, 
the  gale  travelling  north.  On  the  starboard  tack,  its  centre  has 
passed  to  the  west  of  us.  Ordered  the  donkey  engine  to  be  got 
ready  for  use  last  night,  in  case  the  ship  should  make  more  water 
than  the  small  bilge  pumps  could  throw  out.  Carried  away  the 
flying  jibboom  at  7.  30  A.M. — saved  the  sail.  As  the  gale  progressed 
the  wind  hauled  to  the  south  and  west;  and  at  4  P.M.,  judging 
that  the  strength  of  the  gale  had  passed  us,  I  kept  the  ship  on  her 
course,  E.  by  S.,  which  gave  a  quartering  wind  and  sea;  and  al 
though  the  sea  was  heavy,  and  the  wind  yet  blowing  a  j^ale,  she 
made  beautiful  weather  of  it,  scudding  as  well  as  she  had  lain  to. 
The  wind  blew  fresh  all  night,  with  a  slowly  rising  barometer. 

Escaped  the  "cyclone,"  a  fresh  danger  threatened,  and  from  the 
element  more  feared  by  the  sailor  than  either  wind  or  water  in 
their  wildest  moods.  It  was  about  midnight  of  December  the 
1 4th  that  the  watch  on  deck  were  startled  by  the  smell  of  fire, 
soon  followed  by  the  appearance  of  smoke  pouring  out  of  the 
ventilator  leading  up  from  the  berth  deck.  The  alarm  was  im 
mediately  given ;  hands  turned  up  and  sent  to  quarters,  and  a 
strict  investigation  made.  Fortunately  no  damage  was  done  ex 
cept  to  a  mattress  and  pea-jacket  which  were  partly  consumed  ; 
but  the  escape  was  a  narrow  one,  and  the  sentries  on  duty  below 
no  doubt  considered  themselves  well  off,  to  escape  with  no  other 
punishment  for  their  carelessness  than  a  week's  stoppage  of  their 
grog. 

On  went  the  Sumter  with  varying  fortune,  now  running  plea 
sant  races  with  some  huge  whale,  that  left  a  track  upon  the  water 
almost  as  broad  as  her  own  ;  now  rolling  and  tumbling  in  a  gale, 
with  ports  barricaded  to  keep  the  water  out,  and  donkey  engine 
rigged  to  keep  it  under.  And  at  last  the  continued  bad  weather 
and  consequent  confinement  to  the  crowded  lower  deck,  began  to 
tell  upon  the  health  of  the  crew,  and  no  less  than  twelve  were  at 
one  time  upon  tho  sick  list.  The  little  vessel  herself,  too,  was 


CRUISE   OF  THE  ALABAMA  AND  THE   SUMTER.          67 

getting  rapidly  invalided.  The  leak  increased  terribly,  and  fully 
half  the  day  was  taken  up  at  the  pumps.  The  Christmas-tide  en 
tries  in  the  Journal  are  as  follows: — 

Tuesday,  December  24th. — An  unpropitious  Christmas-eve;  the 
gale  of  last  night  continuing,  with  rain  and  a  densely  over-cast 
sky.  The  barometer  is  rising,  however,  which  is  a  portent  that  the 
gale  will  not  last  long.  I  have  abandoned  the  idea  of  attempting 
to  run  into  Fayal.  These  Azores  seem  to  be  so  guarded  by  the 
Furies  of  the  storm,  that  it  would  appear  to  be  a  matter  of  great 
difficulty  to  reach  them  in  the  winter  season.  We  have  thirty- 
eight  days  of  water  on  board,  allowing  a  gallon  to  a  man  ;  but 
still  I  have  put  the  officers  and  crew  on  the  allowance  of  three 
quarts  per  day.  I  will  run  for  the  Straits  of  Gibraltar,  which 
will  carry  me  in  the  vicinity  of  Madeira,  should  I  have  occasion  to 
make  a  port  sooner. 

Weather  breaking  somewhat  at  noon,  but  still  thickly  overcast. 
No  observation.  Lat.  37°  31'  N.,  Long.  31°  71'  W.  by  computation. 
It  freshened  up  from  the  N.  at  2  P.M.,  and  blew  a  gale  of  wind  all 
niuht  from  N.N.E.  to  N.N.W.  Running  off  with  the  wind  a  little 
abaft  the  beam  very  comfortably ;  but  the  two  small  pumps  were 
kept  going  nearly  all  night.  They  do  little  more  than  keep  her  free. 

Wednesday,  December  25th. — Christmas-day  !  Bringing  with 
it,  away  here  in  mid-ocean,  all  the  kindly  recollections  of  the 
season  and  home,  and  church  and  friends.  Alas!  how  great  the 
contrast  between  these  things  and  our  present  condition.  A  leaky 
ship  filled  with  prisoners  of  war,  striving  to  make  a  port  through 
the  almost  constantly  recurring  gales  of  the  North  Atlantic  in 
mid-winter!  Sick  list — ten  of  the  crew,  and  four  prisoners. 
Wind  fresh  from  the  N.W.  We  are  making  a  good  run  these 
twenty  four  hours.  Lat.  36'08  N.,  Long.  28-42  W.  Weather 
cloudy,  and  looking  squally  and  ugly,  with  a  falling  barometer,  it 
being  at  noon  29-70  ;  29'80  is  the  highest  it  has  been  since  the 
last  gale.  A  series  of  gales  commenced  on  the  19th  inst.  Altered 
our  course  from  S.E  by  E.  to  S.E.  to  avoid  the  St.  Mary's  bank  ;  a 
Captain  Livingstone  having  reported,  about  forty  years  ago,  that  he 
saw  white  waters  hereabouts,  and  no  nation  having  thought  it  worth 
while  to  verify  the  report.  Thermometer  63°.  Heavy  rain-squalls. 
The  weather  during  the  night  was  dirty  and  squally,  with  lightning 
all  around  the  horizon  by  turns,  and  heavy  rain.  Spliced  the 
main  brace ! 

The  26th  December  brought  the  Sumter  off  Cape  Flyaway, 
and  once  more  she  was  rapidly  approaching  the  ordinary  track  of 
commerce. 


68         CKUISE   OF  THE  ALABAMA  AND  THE  SUMTER. 

Monday,  December  30th. — Sail,  ho!  at  daylight,  and  Sail,  ho! 
in  succession  during  the  whole  day,  until  as  many  as  thirty -five 
were  reported.  There  were  as  many  as  nine  or  ten  in  sight  at 
one  time,  all  standing  on  the  same  course  for  the  tide  and  wind. 
Got  up  steam  and  began  chasing  at  8  A.M.,  and  chased  until  4  P.M. 
The  first  vessel  we  overhauled  was  a  Dutch  barque,  clipper-looking, 
on  board  which  we  sent  a  boat;  and  we  afterwards  overhauled, 
and  caused  to  show  their  papers,  fifteen  others  of  the  fleet,  every 
one  of  which  was  European  ! — Viz.  Dutch  (ships),  4  ;  English  (2 
barques  and  5  brigs),  7  ;  French  (1  ship  and  1  brig),  2  ;  Swedish  * 
(brig),  1 ;  Prussian  (barque),  1 ;  Hamburg  (brig),  1.  One  of  the  re 
sults  of  the  war  is,  that  in  this  whole  fleet,  as  far  as  we  could  ascertain, 
there  was  not  a  single  Yankee  !  So  many  ships  at  the  same  time 
so  far  out  at  sea,  is  a  sight  not  often  seen.  The  weather  was  very 
thick  and  rainy,  and  from  the  S.  to  E.,  a  real  dirty  day  ;  and  in 
such  a  state  of  weather,  with  so  many  ships  running  down  our 
track,  we  had  serious  apprehensions  of  collisions  as  the  night  set 
in.  To  guard  against  which  we  set  out  masthead  as  well  as  side 
lights.  At  4.30  P.M.,  let  the  steam  go  down  and  made  sail.  No 
observations.  Lat.  35°  39' ;  Long.  17°  33'  D.R. 

We  first  showed  the  United  States  colours  to  all  these  vessels, 
and  the  only  one  which  saluted  it  was  the  Prussian.  We  after 
wards  showed  our  own  flag  to  a  number  of  them,  and  they  all, 
with  one  or  two  exceptions,  saluted  it.  The  stream  of  vessels  still 
continued  after  nightfall — two  having  passed  us  showing  lights,  one 
ahead  and  the  other  astern.  At  6.15  P.M.,  or  about  one  hour 
after  dark,  the  wind  was  blowing  fresh  from  the  E.,  and  they  came 
down  upon  us  with  fearful  rapidity. 

Friday,  January  3rd,  1862. — Ugly  looking  morning,  with  a 
falling  barometer.  Several  sail  were  reported  from  the  masthead 
during  the  morning  watch.  We  shortened  sail  to  permit  one  of 
them,  which  was  steering  the  same  course  with  ourselves,  to  come 
up  with  us.  She  proved  to  be  a  Spaniard.  We  then  gave  chase 
to  another  a-head  of  us,  running  before  the  wind  for  the  Strait  of 
Gibraltar.  We  chased  her  some  two  hours,  when  it  began  to 
blow  a  fierce  gale  from  the  west,  which  obliged  us  to  give  over  the 
chase  and  to  haul  up  to  prevent  running  to  leeward  of  our  port, 
and  to  put  the  ship  under  short  sail  and  steam.  It  blew  very 
fiercely  until  near  sunset,  and  raised  a  heavy,  short,  abrupt  sea,  in 
which  the  ship  rolled  more  heavily  than  I  had  ever  seen  her  be 
fore.  This  shook  our  propeller  so  as  to  cause  the  ship  to  increase 
her  quantity  of  water  considerably — so  much  so  that  the  engineer 
reported  that  under  short  steam  he  was  just  keeping  her  free  with 
his  bilge-pumps,  and  that  if  anything  happened  to  these,  he  feared 


CRUISE   OF  THE   ALABAMA  AND  THE  SUMTER.         69 

the  other  pumps  would  not  be  sufficient.  Under  these  circum 
stances,  I  ran  in  for  the  land,  cutting-  short  my  cruise  by  a  day  or 
two,  as  I  had  still  two  or  three  days'  coal  on  board.  We  made 
the  Cadiz  Light  in  the  mid-watch — (my  fine  chronometers!) — a 
beautiful  red  flash,  and  soon  after  got  soundings.  Ran  in  for  the 
light  under  low  steam,  and  at  V  A.M.  we  were  within  four  or  five 
miles  of  it.  The  morning  was  wet  and  gloomy.  Fired  a  gun, 
and  hoisted  the  jack  for  a  pilot ;  and  soon  after,  having  received 
one  on  board,  we  ran  into  the  harbour  and  anchored.  As  we  ap 
proached,  the  scene  was  most  beautiful,  in  spite  of  the  day.  The 
city  of  Cadiz  is  a  perfect  picture  as  you  approach  it,  with  domes, 
and  towers,  and  minarets,  and  Moorish-looking  houses,  of  a  beauti 
ful  white  stone.  The  harbour  was  crowded  with  shipping — very 
thinly  sprinkled  with  Yankees,  who  could  get  no  freights — and  a 
number  of  villages  lay  around  the  margin  of  the  bay,  and  were 
picturesquely  half  hidden  in  the  slopes  of  the  surrounding  moun 
tains,  all  speaking  of  regenerate  old  Spain,  and  of  the  populousness 
and  thrift  of  her  most  famous  province  of  Andalusia.  Visited  by 
the  health-officer,  who  informed  us  that  unless  we  were  specially 
exempted,  we  should  be  quarantined  for  three  days,  for  not  having 
a  certificate  of  health  from  the  Spanish  Consul  at  Martinique.  A 
number  of  merchant  ships  hoisted  their  flags  in  honour  of  our 
arrival,  and  one  Yankee  showed  his  in  defiance. 


CHAPTER  IX. 

Cadiz  harbour — Notice  to  quit  —Local  authorities —  Wisdom — The  Queen 

of  Spain — Docked  —  Under  repair — Deserters — The   honour   of  the 

flag — The  Neapolitan— The  Investigator — Gibraltar — Official  visits — 

Up  the  rock — A   legend — Neutrality  again — Consular   diplomacy — 

Blockaded— The  Tuscarora — Seven  in  pursuit. 

DURING  the  stay  of  the  Sumter  at  Cadiz,  and  her  subsequent 
arrival  at  Gibraltar,  Captain  Semmes  made  the  entries  in  his 
Journal  which  will  be  found  in  this  chapter. 

Saturday,  Jo.nuary  4th. — Harbour  of  Cadiz — ancient  Gades — 
with  its  Moorish  houses  and  feluccas,  or  latteen  vessels.  Some  fine 
oranges  alongside — the  product  of  this  latitude,  36°  32'  N., 
about  the  same  parallel  with  Norfolk,  Virginia.  It  is  one  linn- 


70         CRUISE   OF  THE  ALABAMA  AND  THE  SUMTER. 

dred  and  eighty-eight  days  to-day  since  we  ran  the  blockade 
at  New  Orleans,  and  of  this  time  we  have  been  one  hundred  and 
thirty-six  days  at  sea.  We  are  informed  this  evening  that  the 
question  of  our  being  admitted  to  pratique  (and  I  presume  also 
the  landing  of  our  prisoners)  has  been  referred  to  Madrid  by 
telegram. 

Sunday r,  January  5th. — Sky  partially  overcast,  with  a  cool 
north  wind.  Thermometer  56°.  Early  this  morning  the  health 
officer  came  alongside,  and  brought  me  the  order  from  the  Govern 
ment  to  depart  within  twenty-four  hours,  and  a  tender  of  such 
supplies  as  I  might  need  in  the  meantime.  I  replied  as  under : — 

C.  8.  Steamer  Snrater,  Cadiz, 
January  5, 1862. 

SIR, — I  have  had  the  honour  to  receive,  through  the  health 
officer  of  the  port,  an  order  from  the  Government  of  Spain, 
directing  me  to  proceed  to  sea  within  twenty-four  hours.  I  am 
greatly  surprised  at  this  unfriendly  order.  Although  my  Govern 
ment  has  not  yet  been  favourably  recognised  by  Spain,  it  has 
been  declared  to  be  possessed  of  the  rights  of  belligerents  in  the 
war  in  which  it  is  engaged  ;  and  it  is  the  practice  of  all  civilized 
nations  to  extend  the  hospitality  of  their  ports  to  the  belligerents 
of  both  parties  alike — whether  the  belligerents  be  de  facto  or 
de  jure.  I  am  aware  of  the  rules  adopted  by  Spain,  in  common 
with  the  other  great  powers,  prohibiting  belligerent  cruisers  from 
bringing  their  prizes  into  her  ports;  but  this  rule  I  have  not 
violated.  I  have  entered  the  harbour  of  Cadiz  with  my  single 
ship,  and  I  demand  only  the  hospitality  to  which  I  am  entitled  by 
the  law  of  nations — the  Confederate  States  being  one  of  the  de 
facto  nations  of  the  earth,  by  Spain's  own  acknowledgment,  as 
before  stated.  I  am  sorry  to  be  obliged  to  add,  too,  that  my  ship 
is  in  a  crippled  condition.  She  is  damaged  in  her  hull,  is  leaking 
badly,  is  ur.seaworthy,  and  will  require  to  be  docked  and  repaired 
before  it  will  be  possible  for  her  to  proceed  to  sea.  I  am  there 
fore  constrained,  by  the  force  of  circumstances,  most  respectfully 
to  decline  obedience  to  the  order  which  I  have  received,  until  the 
necessary  repairs  can  be  made.  Further,  I  have  on  board  forty- 
three  prisoners,  confined  within  a  small  space,  greatly  to  their 
discomfort,  and  simple  humanity  would  seem  to  dictate,  that  I 
should  be  permitted  to  hand  them  over  to  the  care  of  their 
consul  on  shore  without  unnecessary  delay. 

I  have,  <fec. 
(Signed)  R.  SKMMES. 

To  his  Excellency 
The  Military  Governor  of  the  Tort  of  Cadiz,  Spain. 


CRUISE  OF  THE  ALABAMA  AND  THE  SUMTEK.          71 

At  11.30,  a  boat  with  the  Spanish  flag  anchored  a  short  dis 
tance  from  me,  evidently  a  guard  upon  my  movements.  The 
Yankees  have  been  at  work,  no  doubt,  to  bring  all  this  about. 
The  military  governor  is  telegraphing  my  reply  back,  and  we  shall 
see  what  the  answer  will  be. 

I  was  mistaken  in  the  above.  The  order  to  proceed  to  sea  was 
begotten  in  the  wise  brains  of  the  local  authorities.  My  reply  to 
it  having  been  telegraphed  to  Madrid,  the  authorities  were  over 
ruled  ;  and  the  Queen  despatched  an  order  to  permit  me  to  land 
my  prisoners,  and  to  make  such  repairs  as  I  needed.  So  this 
business,  which  has  troubled  us  a  couple  of  days,  is  at  an  end. 
This  evening,  just  before  dark,  a  Spanish  steam-frigate  came  down 
from  the  Navy  Yard,  and  anchored  near  us. 

Monday,  January  6th. — Last  night  I  was  aroused  at  2.30  A.M., 
by  a  boat  from  the  shore,  with  a  note  from  the  military  governor, 
requesting  me  to  delay  proceeding  to  sea,  that  the  benevolent 
intentions  of  her  Majesty's  Government  in  regard  to  me  might  be 
carried  out.  The  "  muddy  heads"  on  shore  had  received  a 
despatch  from  Madrid,  in  reply  to  my  letter  to  them.  Weather 
clear  and  bracing.  Wind  from  the  North.  Thermometer  at  noon 
59.°  The  steam-frigate  disappeared  somehow  during  the  night. 
Protested,  as  under,  against  the  presence  of  a  health  guard-boat: — 

C.  8.  Steamer  "  Snmter," 

Cadiz,  January  6th,  1862. 

SIR, — I  have  had  the  honour  to  receive  your  Excellency's  note 
of  to-day,  in  which  you  inform  me  that  the  proceedings  of  the 
local  authorities  of  Cadiz,  commanding  me  to  proceed  to  sea 
within  twenty-four  hours,  have'  been  overruled  by  the  Govern 
ment  at  Madrid,  and  that  the  Queen  had  graciously  permitted  me 
to  land  my  prisoners,  and  to  remain  to  put  the  necessary  repairs 
upon  my  ship.  Do  me  the  favour  to  communicate  to  her  Majesty 
my  thanks  for  her  prompt  and  friendly  action  in  the  premises. 

In  the  meantime,  allow  me  most  respectfully  to  protest  against 
the  presence  of  the  guard-boat  which  has  been  placed  in  sur 
veillance  upon  my  movements,  as  though  I  were  an  ordinary  ship 
of  commerce.  Compliance  with  the  laws  of  quarantine  should 
be  left  with  me  as  a  matter  of  honour,  and  the  presence  of  this 
boat  implies  the  suspicion  that  a  ship  of  war  of  a  friendly  Power 
could  so  far  forget  herself  as  to  infringe  the  regulations  of  th'e 
port — a  suspicion  as  unworthy  the  health  authorities  of  the  port 
of  Cadiz  as  it  is  offensive  to  me. 

I  have  the  honour  to  be,  <fec.  &c. 

(Signed)  R.  SEMMES. 

Benor  Ignacio  Mendez  de  Vijro, 
Military  Governor  of  the  Port  of  Cadiz. 


72          CRUISE   OF  THE   ALABAMA  AND  THE   SUMTER. 

Tuesday,  January  *7th. — To-day  I  received  a  note  from  Ronor 
de  Vigo,  the  military  Governor,  informing  me  that  the  Queen's 
Government  had  consented  to  permit  me  to  land  my  prisoners, 
and  to  remain  for  repairs.  He  puts  my  remaining,  however,  on 
the  ground  of  necessity  arising  out  of  my  crippled  condition.  Re 
ceived  also  a  reply  from  the  Yankee  Consul  to  my  note  about  the 
prisoners :  declined  to  receive  it  on  account  of  its  being  impro 
perly  addressed.*  Landed  all  the  prisoners.  Received  another 
note  from  the  Governor,  requesting  me  to  hurry  my  repairs,  &c. 
Sent  to  the  Captain  of  the  port  on  the  subject.  Referred  by 
him  to  Captain-General. 

Wednesday.  January  8th. — Complained  to  the  Civil  Governor  of 
the  Paymaster  and  Surgeon  having  been  called  alongside  the 
guard-boat  (whilst  coming  on  board  in  a  shore  boat).  Despatched 
a  Lieutenant  to  San  Fernando  to  see  the  Captain-General  about 
docking  the  ship.  He  returned  at  nightfall,  with  word  that  the 
Captain-General  would  reply  in  the  morning. 

Thursday,  January  9th. — Visited  by  Engineer  of  docks  at  San 
Fernando,  to  learn  the  extent  of  the  repairs  which  we  shall  re 
quire,  and  to  take  the  dimensions  of  the  ship,  to  ascertain  whether 
she  can  enter  the  only  dock  that  is  empty.  A  fine,  clear  day,  with 
a  pleasant  wind  from  the  N.  Bar.  30*34.,  the  highest  that  I  have 
ever  seen.  No  answer  from  the  Captain-General  yet  (noon),  as  to 
our  being  docked.  Besides  the  six  ships  which  Mr.  Welles  says 
have  been  in  pursuit  of  me — viz.,  the  Powhattan,  the  Niagara,  the 
San  Jacinto,  the  Iroquois,  the  Keystone  State,  and  the  Richmond 
— the  Ino  and  the  Dacotah  are  also  employed  in  this  fruitless 
business.  We  are  fairly  in  the  hands  of  the  circumlocution  office. 
I  suppose  they  are  telegraphing  Madrid.  The  greatest  excitement 
prevails  all  over  Europe  to  learn  the  result  of  the  English  demand 
for  the  Commissioners.  The  general  impression  is,  that  the  Yan 
kees  will  give  them  up,  and  that  there  will  be  no  war.  The  packet 
from  New  York  is  expected  in  England  to-day.  In  the  meantime, 
Great  Britain  is  calling  home  her  ships  of  war;  the  Mediterra- 

*  CAPTAIN  SEMMES,  C.S.N.,  to  U.  S.  CONSUL,  CADIZ, 

C.  8.  Steamer  Sumter,  Cadiz, 
January  7, 1862. 

SIR, — Your  note  of  this  morning  having  been  sent  off  to  me  by  a  common 
boatman,  I  could  not  learn  the  name  of  the  writer  without  breaking  the  en 
velope.  Having  done  so,  and  ascertained  it  to  be  from  yourself,  I  decline  to 
receive  it,  as  being  improperly  addressed.  My  address  is  as  follows: — 

COMMANDER  R.  SEMMES, 

Confederate  States  Navy, 
Commanding  C.  S.  Steamer  Sumter. 
E.  8.  Eggleston,  U.  8.  Consul. 


CRUISE  OF  THE  ALABAMA  AND  THE  SUMTER.         73 

nean  fleet  arrived  at  Gibraltar  on  January  2nd,  and  threw  the 
commercial  community  into  the  greatest  consternation.  Received 
final  permission  this  evening  from  the  Captain-General  to  enter 
dock. 

Saturday,  January  llth. — Visited  the  shore.  Cadiz  full  of 
life  and  bustle.  Met  Mr.  Oliver;  he  is  from  the  East.  He  says 
Russia  is  laying  deep  schemes  for  uniting  the  whole  Sclavonic  race 
under  her  rule;  and  that  the  cotton  pressure  is  felt  at  Constanti 
nople,  up  the  Danube,  and,  in  short,  all  over  Eastern  Europe. 
Received  permission  from  the  Governor  to  land  the  marine  who 
was  sentenced  by  court-martial  to  be  discharged.  News  of  the 
great  fire  in  Charleston.  Rumour  that  the  Yankees  have  given 
up  the  Commissioners.  Can  scarcely  credit  it  as  yet.  Yankee- 
dom  can  hardly  have  fallen  so  low. 

Sunday,  January  12th. — Landed  the  discharged  marine.  The 
news  that  Messrs.  Mason  and  Slidell  have  been  given  up  appears 
to  be  confirmed.  The  subtle  diplomacy,  notifying  the  Yankee 
Government  unofficially,  that  the  ultimatum  would  be  withheld  a 
short  time,  to  allow  them  time  to  give  up  the  prisoners  volunta 
rily,  was  resorted  to !  The  Yankee  Consul  here  gave  a  dinner  on 
the  occasion  !  The  Cadiz  papers  comment  very  unfavourably  upon 
this  back-down,  and  insist  that  notwithstanding,  it  is  the  duty  of 
the  great  Powers  to  interpose  and  put  an  end  to  the  war.  In  the 
afternoon  we  got  under  way,  and  passing  through  the  fleet  of  ship 
ping,  went  up  to  the  dock  at  Caracca,  some  eight  miles  east  of  the 
city.  The  harbor  is  perfect,  the  water  deep,  and  the  buildings 
extensive.  The  pilot  who  took  me  up,  says  he  is  the  man  to  run 
me  out  by  the  ererny,  when  I  am  ready — that  he  was  in  New 
Orleans  sixty  years  ago,  and  remained  a  year  in  Louisiana,  where* 
he  learned  to  speak  the  language,  which  he  has  not  yet  entirely 
forgotten. 

Monday,  January  13th. — At  about  10  o'clock  the  dockyard 
people  came  on  board  of  us,  and  at  10.30  we  were  safely  docked, 
and  at  noon  the  dock  pumped  dry.  We  suffered  very  little  dam 
age  from  running  ashore  at  Maranham.  We  indented  a  small 
place  under  the  forefoot,  and  knocked  off  only  a  small  portion 
of  our  false  keel  instead  of  the  whole  of  it,  as  we  supposed.  We 
are  now  knocking  away  bulkheads,  and  removing  magazine 
and  shell  room  to  get  at  the  shaft.  At  1  P.M.  ca^d  officially 
upon  the  Naval-Commandant,  and  returned  him  my  thanks  for  the 
handsome  manner  in  which  he  had  docked  my  ship.  I  spoke  of 
the  back-down  of  the  Yankees,  which  he  asserted  would  make 
them  lose  caste  in  Europe.  The  great  fire  at  Charleston  was 
alluded  to  by  him,  whereupon  I  remarked  that  Europe  could  see 

4 


74         CRUISE   OF  THE  ALABAMA  AND  THE   SUMTER. 

from  this  incident — (the  work  of  incendiarism  prompted  and  paid 
for,  no  doubt,  by  the  enemy) — the  barbarous  nature  of  the  war 
waged  upon  us,  and  told  him  we  were  in  fact  fighting  the  battles 
of  Spain  as  well  as  our  own  ;  for  if  the  barbarians  of  the  North 
succeeded  in  overcoming  the  South  (which,  however,  I  pronounced 
an  impossibility),  and  destroying  our  slave  property,  in  their  wild 
fanaticism  and  increasing  madness,  they  would  next  make  war  on 
Cuba  and  Porto  Rico.  He  replied  that  this  war  could  not  con 
tinue  much  longer;  there  were  people  and  territory  enough  in 
North  America  to  make  two  great  governments,  and  Europe 
would,  no  doubt  united,  soon  interpose.  I  was  treated  with  great 
civility  and  kindness. 

Tuesday,  January  14th. — *  *  *  Had  an  interview  to-day  with 
the  Naval-Commandant,  who  explained  to  me  the  orders  he  had 
received  from  the  Government  in  relation  to  my  ship,  which  were 
to  put  upon  her  only  the  indispensable  repairs,  without  essential 
alterations.  I  expressed  myself  satisfied  with  this;  told  him  I 
knew  the  solicitude  of  his  Government  to  avoid  complication  ; 
and,  that  so  far  as  depended  upon  me,  he  mi^ht  rely  upon  it  that 
I  would  permit  nothing  to  be  done  which  might  involve  it  in  any 
way.  Proceeding  with  the  necessary  repairs.  Some  thousand 
workmen,  many  of  them  convicts,  are  employed  in  this  yard. 
They  have  in  dock,  receiving  her  copper,  a  heavy  steam  frigate 
constructed  here,  and  another  still  larger  on  the  stocks.  Immense 
quantities  of  timber  are  in  the  docks,  and  though  the  water  is  salt 
it  is  not  attacked  by  the  worm,  the  ebb  and  flow  of  the  tide'pre- 
ventirig  it.  Timber  which  has  been  forty  years  in  these  docks  is 
perfectly  sound.  Five  of  my  seamen  desertecl  yesterday — all  fo 
reigners,  I  am  glad  to  say.  The  Commandant  has  promised  to 
put  the  police  on  the  scent,  but  I  have  no  expectation  I  shall  get 
them. 

Wednesday,  January  15th. — Having  had  the  plank  replaced  in 
the  bilge,  and  re-coppered  and  overhauled  the  propeller,  we  were 
let  out  of  dock  at  1  P.M.  These  repairs  were  done  with  a  very  bad 
grace  by  the  Spanish  officials,  who  seemed  in  a  great  hurry  to  get 
rid  of  us,  lest  the  affair  of  our  being  docked  should  compromise 
them  !  This  I  suppose  was  due  to  official  timidity,  not  to  any  want 
of  good  feeling,  as  the  Commandant  of  the  yard  expressed  to  me 
his  regret  at  not  being  able  to  put  me  in  complete  repair ;  person 
ally  offering  to  render  me  any  service  in  his  power.  Our  engine 
not  being  ready  for  use,  the  Captain-General  sent  a  small  steamer  to 
tow  me  to  Cadiz,  where  we  anchored  at  about  4  P.M.  Whilst  lying 
in  the  dock,  a  stampede  took  place  amongst  my  crew,  nine  of 
them  having  deserted.  Two  were  brought  back;  the  rest  escaped. 


CRUISE  OF  THE   ALABAMA  AND  THE  SUMTEB.         75 

Some  of  these  men  had  behaved  themselves  very  well,  but  none 
of  them,  of  course,  had  any  attachment  to  the  flag,  not  being  na 
tives,  or,  indeed,  citizens  at  all,  and,  sailor-like,  they  had  got  tired, 
and  wanted  a  change.  Some,  no  doubt,  shrank  from  the  arduous 
and  perilous  duties  of  the  service  in  which  they  had  engaged. 
They  took  refuge  with  the  Yankee  Consul,  and  it  was  useless  to 
ask  to  have  them  given  up.  The  enemy  is  certainly  good  at  burn 
ing  cities  by  means  of  negro  incendiaries,  and  at  enticing  away  our 
seamen.  Another  lad  ran  away  from  a  boat  this  evening.  Have 
directed  no  boat  should  leave  the  ship  without  an»  officer,  and  that 
the  officer  be  armed,  and  ordered  to  shoot  any  men  who  attempt 
to  desert. 

Thursday,  January  IQth. — Called  my  crew  aft  and  had  a  talk 
with  them  about  the  bad  conduct  of  their  shipmates  who  had  de 
serted.  Told  them  I  did  not  believe  I  had  another  man  on  board 
capable  of  so  base  an  act ;  that  men  who  could  run  under  such 
circumstances  would  run  from  their  guns ;  and  that  I  did  not  want 
such,  &c.,  &c. ;  and  ended  by  telling  them  that  when  funds  arrived 
they  should  be  permitted  to  go  on  liberty.  *  *  *  At  9  P.M.,  the 
aide-de-camp  of  the  Military  Governor  came  on  board,  bringing  a 
pilot  with  him,  with  a  peremptory  order  for  ine  to  go  to  sea.  I  r  - 
plied  as  under : — 

C.  8.  Steamer  Sumter,  Cadiz,  Jan.  16, 1902. 

SIR, — I  have  the  honour  to  inform  you  that  whilst  my  ship  was 
in  the  dock  at  Caracca  eight  of  my  seamen  deserted,  and  I  am  in 
formed  that  they  are  sheltered  and  protected  by  the  United  States 
Consul,  I  respectfully  request  that  you  will  cause  these  men  to  be 
delivered  to  me,  and  to  disembarrass  this  demand  of  any  difficulty 
that  may  seem  to  attend  it,  permit  me  to  make  the  following  ob 
servations  : — 

*  *  *  *  *  * 

*3.  It  has  been,  and  is,  the  uniform  custom  of  all  nations  to 
arrest  and  hand  over  to  their  proper  officers,  deserters  from  ships 
of  war  ;  and  this  without  stopping  to  inquire  as  to  the  nationality 
of  the  deserter. 

4.  If  this  is  the  practice  in  peace,  how  much  more  necessary 
does  such  a  practice  become  in  war;  since,  otherwise,  the  opera 
tions  of  war — remote,  it  is.  true — but  still  the  operations  of  war, 
would  be  tolerated  in  a  neutral  territory. 

5.  Without  a  violation  of  neutrality,  an  enemy's  consul  in   a 

*  The  paragraphs  omitted,  contain  merely  a  recapitulation  of  the  claim  of 
the  Confederate  States  to  full  belligerent  rights. 


76         CRUISE   OF  THE   ALABAMA  AND  THE  SUMTER. 

neutral  territory,  cannot  be  permitted  to  entice  any  seamen  from  a 
ship  of  the  opposite  belligerents,  or  to  shelter  or  protect  the  same; 
for,  if  he  is  permitted  to  do  this,  then  his  domicile  becomes  an  ene 
my's  camp  in  a  neutral  territory. 

6.  With  reference  to  the  question  in  hand,  I  respectfully  submit 
that  the  only  facts  which  your  Excellency  can  take  cognizance  of, 
are,  that  these  deserters  entered  the  waters  of  Spain  under  my 
flag,  and  that  they  formed  a  part  of  my  crew.     The  inquiry  can 
not  pass  a  step  beyond,  and  Spain  cannot  undertake  to  inquire,  as 
between  the  United  States  Consul  and  myself,  to  which  of  us  the 
deserters  in  question  more  properly  belong.     Such  a  course  would 
be  tantamount  to  an  interposition  between  two  belligerents,  and  it 
would  be  destructive  of  the  essential  rights  of  ships  of  war  in  fo 
reign  ports,  as  well  in  peace  as  in  war. 

7.  I  am  inclined  to  admit  that  if  a  Spanish  subject  serving  under 
my  flag  should  escape  to  the  shore,  and  should  satisfy  the  author 
ities  that  he  was  held  by  me  by  force,  and  either  without  contract, 
or  in  violation  of  contract,-  that  he  might  be  set  at  liberty,  but  such 
is  not  the  present  case.     The  nationality  of  the  deserters  not  being 
Spanish,   Spain  cannot,  as  I  said  before,  inquire  into  it.     To  con 
clude,   the  case  which   I  present  is  simply  this: — Several  of  my 
crew,  serving  on  board  my  ship  under  voluntary  contracts,  have 
deserted,  and  taken  refuge  in  the  consulate  of  the  United  States. 
To  deprive  me  of  the  power,  with  the  assistance  of  the  police,  to 
recapture  these  men,  would  convert  the  consulate  into  a  camp,  and 
the  consul  would  be  permitted  to  exercise  the  right  of  a  belligerent 
on  neutral  territories. 

I  have  the  honour  to  be,  &c.,  &c. 

(Signed)  R.  SEMMES. 

Exmo.  ST.  Don  J.  Mendez  de  Vigo, 
Military  Governor,  Cadiz. 

Friday,  January,  17 th. — Before  I  had  turned  out  this  morning 
the  Governor's  aid  again  came  on  board,  stating  the  order  was 
made  peremptory,  that  I  should  go  to  sea  in  six  hours,  or  I  should 
be  forced.  I  called  in  person  on  the  Governor,  a  not  over  bright 
official,  and  endeavoured  to  make  him  understand  how  I  was 
situated,  but  it  seemed  impossible.  He  promised,  however,  to  send 
a  despatch  to  Madrid,  to  the  effect  that  I  had  no  coals,  and  was 
awaiting  funds  to  procure  the  same  ;  but,  he  added,  if  he  received 
no  despatch  in  the  six  hours  he  should  require  me  to  depart.  I 
returned  on  board,  and  gave  the  necessary  orders  to  get  ready  for 
sea.  At  4  P.M.,  whilst  I  was  weighing  rny  anchor,  the  General's 
aide  came  alongside,  and  said  to  me  that  the  Madrid  Government 


CRUISE   OF  THE  ALABAMA  AND  THE   SUMTER.         77 

had  consented  to  let  me  remain  twenty-four  hours,  that  a  despatch 
was  being  written  to  me  on  the  subject,  to  which  the  Governor 
desired  that  I  would  reply  in  writing.  I  told  the  officer  that,  if 
his  Government  had  politely  acceded  to  rny  request,  permitting  me 
to  remain  until  my  funds  arrived,  I  could  have  appreciated  it ;  but 
that  being  restricted  to  forty-eight  hours,  I  declined  to  avail  my 
self  of  the  privilege,  and  should  go  to  sea ;  and  that  the  General 
need  not  trouble  himself  to  read  me  the  written  despatch,  as  I  had 
no  other  reply  to  make.  I  got  under  way  in  a  few  minutes  after 
wards,  and  as  I  was  passing  out  a  boat  was  seen  pulling  in  great 
haste  towards  me,  one  of  the  crew  holding  up  a  letter  in  his  hand. 
I  did  not  stop  to  receive  it ;  I  felt  too  indignant  at  the  manner  in 
which  I  had  been  treated  to  be  very  civil.  We  passed  outside  of 
the  harbour  a  little  before  sunset,  and  held  on  to  the  light  until 
midnight,  when  we  steamed  for  the  Strait  of  Gibraltar. 

Saturday,  January  18th. —  *  *  *  *  We  entered  the 
Strait  of  Gibraltar  at  about  5  A.M.,  passing  the  Tarifa  Light,  and 
with  the  bold  shores  of  both  Africa  and  Europe  in  plain  sight,  in 
the  bright  moonlight — bright,  notwithstanding  the  passing  clouds. 
We  made  the  Gibraltar  light  about  daybreak,  and  saw  at  the  same 
time  a  number  of  sail.  We  gave  chase  to  two  that  looked  Ame 
rican,  which  they  proved  to  be,  and  which  we  captured.  The  first 
was  the  barque  Neapolitan,  of  Kingston,  Massachusetts,  from  Mes 
sina  to  Boston,  laden  with  fruit  and  fifty  tons  of  sulphur.  The 
whole  cargo  was  stated  by  the  master,  in  his  depositions,  to  belong 
to  the  Baring  Bros.,  consigned  to  their  agents  in  Boston — a  false 
hood,  no  doubt.  Without  stopping  to  look  into  the  bona  fides  of 
this  claim  of  neutral  ownership,  it  was  enough  that  the  sulphur  was 
contraband,  and  that  the  fruit  belonged  to  the  same  owner ;  I  de 
stroyed  both  ship  and  cargo.  No  papers  as  to  the  latter  were  pro 
duced.  The  second  vessel  was  also  a  barque,  the  Investigator,  of 
Searsport,  Maine.  She  being  laden  with  iron  ore,  the  property  of 
neutrals  (Englishmen),  I  released  her  on  a  ransom  bond  ;  she  was 
bound  to  Newport,  Wales.  One  fourth  of  the  vessel  was  owned 
in  South  Carolina,  and  the  share  of  the  South  Carolina  owner  was 
omitted  from  the  ransom  bond — amount  of  bond  being  less  one- 
fourth  fifteen  thousand  dollars.  Having  burned  the  Neapolitan,  I 
steamed  in  for  Gibraltar  at  2.30  P.M.  Passed  under  Europa  point 
at  about  dusk,  and  stood  in,  and  anchored  in  the  bay  at  about  7.30 
P.M.  Boarded  in  a  few  minutes  by  a  boat  from  an  English  frigate, 
with  an  offer  of  service.  Sent  a  boat  alongside  the  health  ship. 

Sunday,  January  19th. — We  found  early  this  morning  we  had 
pratique.  A  number  of  English  officers  and  citizens  came  on 
board.  At  10  I  called  on  board  the  frigate  that  had  sent  the  boat 


78         CRUISE   OF  THE   ALABAMA  AND  THE   SUMTER. 

on  board  of  us  last  night,  but  was  informed  that  the  Captain  (who 
was  absent)  was  not  the  commanding  officer  present,  and  that  the 
latter  lived  on  shore.  At  2  P.M.  I  landed  at  the  arsenal  and  called 
upon  the  commanding  naval  officer,  who  received  me  very  politely. 
I  asked  the  loan  of  an  anchor,  having  but  one,  and  the  Captain 
promised  to  supply  me  with  one  if  there  should  be  no  objection  on 
the  part  of  the  law  officers  of  the  Crown !  Walked  from  the  Cap 
tain's  little  oasis — scooped  out  as  it  were  from  the  surface  of  the 
Rock,  with  a  nice  garden-plot  and  trees,  shrubbery,  &c. — down 
into  the  town,  and  called  on  Lieutenant-General  Sir  W.  J.  Cod- 
rington,  K.C.B.,  the  Governor,  an  agreeable  type  of  an  English 
gentleman  of  about  fifty  to  fifty-five  years  of  age.  The  Governor 
tendered  me  the  facilitrcs  of  the  market,  &c.,  and  in  the  course  of 
conversation  said  he  should  object  to  my  making  Gibraltar  a  sta 
tion,  at  which  to  be  at  anchor  for  the  purpose  of  sallying  out  into 
the  Strait  and  seizing  my  prey.  I  told  him  that  this  had  been 
settled  as  contrary  to  law  by  his  own  distinguished  judge,  Sir 
William  Scott,  sixty  years  ago,  and  that  he  might  rely  upon  my 
taking  no  step  whatever  violative  of  the  neutrality  of  England,  so 
long  as  I  remained  in  her  ports,  <fec.  The  garrison  is  about  seven 
thousand  strong,  and  it  being  Sunday,  the  parade-ground  and 
streets  were  thronged  with  gay  uniforms.  Spain,  with  her  heredi 
tary  jealousy  and  imperiousness  of  character,  is  very  formal  and 
strict  about  intercourse  with  the  Rock.  The  Duke  of  Beaufort 
visited  us  to-day. 

Monday,  January  20th. — Very  fresh,  threatening  a  gale.  Ship 
reported  as  having  dragged  her  anchor.  Ordered  steam  to  be  got 
up  and  the  berth  shifted.  Ran  in  nearer  to  the  eastern  shore  into 
four  fathom  water  and  where  it  was  smoother. 

Tuesday,  January  2lat. — The  westerly  wind  is  bringing  a  fleet 
of  ships  into  the  bay.  To-day  Colonel  Freemantle  came  on  board 
to  return  my  visit  on  the  part  of  the  Governor,  and  to  read  to  me, 
by  the  latter's  direction,  a  memorandum  of  the  conversation  which 
had  passed  between  us  on  Sunday.  The  points  noted  were — first, 
that  we  had  agreed  that  I  should  receive  all  necessary  facilities  for 
the  repair  (from  private  sources)  and  supply  of  my  ship,  contra 
band  of  war  excepted  ;  and,  secondly,  that  I  would  not  make 
Gibraltar  a  station  at  which  to  lie  at  anchor,  and  sally  out  upon 
my  enemy.  I  assented  to  the  correctness  of  the  Governor's  memo 
randum.  The  first  Lieutenant  and  Paymaster  ashore  making 
arrangements  for  the  purchase  of  an,  anchor  and  chain.  The 
house  of  Peacock  and  Co.  refused  to  supply  us,  because  it  would 
offend  their  Yankee  customers.  They  made  arrangements  with 
another  party.  The  town  of  Gibraltar,  from  the  fact  that  the 


CRUISE   OF  THE   ALABAMA   AND   THE   SUMTER.         79 

houses  are  built  on  the  side  of  the  Rock,  and  stand  one  above  the 
other,  presents  the  beautiful  spectacle  every  night  of  a  city  illumi 
nated.  Colonel  Freemantle  politely  requested  me  to  visit  the 
various  batteries,  &c. 

Wednesday,  January  22nd. — Wind  still  from  westward.  Re 
ceived  on  board  an  anch'or  and  chain.  Received  a  letter  from 
Captain  Warden,  on-  a  point  of  international  law,  to  which  I 
assented — to  wit,  that  vessels  should  have  twenty-four  hours'  start. 

Thursday,  January  23rd. — Visited  by  Captain  Wirden,  the 
Senior  Naval  Officer.  Received  a  letter  from  Hon.  Mr.  Yancey, 
who  does  not  believe  that  the  blockade  will  be  raised  for  three 
months.  Ordered  a  survey  upon  the  ship. 

Friday,  January  24th. — Invited  to  dine  with  the  100th,  a 
Canadian  regiment.  Some  of  the  officers  went.  Captain  Palmer 
has  been  relieved  by  De  Camp. 

Saturday,  January  25th. — We  hear  a  rumour  that  the  Nash 
ville  has  been  sold.  Ships  constantly  arriving  and  departing. 

Sunday,  January  26th. — A  charming,  balmy  day,  resembling 
April  in  Alabama.  At  10,  went  on  shore  to  the  Catholic  church  ; 
arrived  as  the  military  Mass  ended :  many  Catholics  in  the  army. 
Small  church,  with  groined  arches — remnant  of  Spanish  times. 
After  church  took  a  delightful  stroll  into  the  country,  just  above 
the  Alameda.  It  is  a  labyrinth  of  agave  and  flowers  and  shrub 
bery,  among  which  the  patji  zigzags  up  the  mountain-side;  gera 
niums,  and  jonquils,  and  mignonette,  and  lilies  are  wild.  One  is 
only  surprised,  after  looking  at  the  apparently  barren  face  of  the 
rock,  to  find  so  much  sweetness  of  Mother  Earth.  I  clambered 
up  a  couple  of  hundred  feet,  and  from  that  height  the  bay,  the^ 
coasts  of  Spain,  and  sleeping  Africa,  robed  in  the  azure  hue  of 
distance,  and  the  numerous  sail,  some  under  way,  and  others  lying 
like  so  many  cock-boats,  as  seen  from  the  height,  at  their 'anchors 
— the  lattcen  craft  speaking  of  the  far  East,  <fec.  Statue  of 
General  Elliot.  A  number  of  fine-looking  Moors  in  the  streets, 
picturesque  in  their  loose  dresses  and  snowy  turbans.  Gibraltar 
is,  indeed,  a  city  of  the  world,  where  one  sees  every  variety  of 
costume,  and  hears  all  tongues.  Spanish  is  the  predominant  lan 
guage  among  the  commercial  classes.  Major-General  Sir  John 
Inglis  (the  hero  of  Lucknow),  of  the  English  army,  Governor  of 
Corfu,  having  arrived  on  his  way  to  the  Ionian  Islands,  visited  us 
to-day  to  see  our  ship,  which  he  was  kind  enough  to  say  had 
become  "  quite  distinguished." 

Monday,  January  27th. — A  general  exodus  of  the  shipping  this 
morning  out  of  the  Straits,  within  which  they  had  been  detained 
some  ten  days  by  a  head  wind.  The  English  mail  steamer  from 


80         CRUISE   OF  THE  ALABAMA  AND  THE   SUMTER. 

Southampton  arrived.  Received  from  her  a  Times  of  the  20th, 
from  which  we  learn  that  England  had  protested  against  the  bar 
barity  of  blocking  up  the  harbour  of  Charleston,  by  sinking  a 
stone  fleet.  We  feel  some  anxiety  for  the  safety  of.  Messrs. 
Mason  and  Slidell,  they  having  embarked  on  board  the  English 

funboat   Rinaldo,  at  *Princetown,  on   the    2nd  instant,   and  not 
aving  been  heard  of  on  the  10th,  although  bound  to  Halifax.     A 
heavy  gale  blew  on  the  eve  of  their  embarkation. 

Tuesday,  January  28th. — Preparing  the  ship  for  sea,  surveying 
machinery,  and  impatiently  awaiting  news  from  London. 

Wednesday,  January  29th. — Visited  the  shore,  and  went  to 
the  Military  Library  and  Reading  Room,  where  I  found  the  prin 
cipal  London  journals.  Reported  that  the  English  Government  will 
consult  Parliament  about  recognising  us.  Took  a  long  stroll  to 
the  east  end  of  the  Rock — exceedingly  broken  and  picturesque. 
Came  upon  a  Moorish  burying-ground,  looking  out  upon  Africa. 
Some  of  the  marble  slabs  had  become  almost  disintegrated  by  the 
weather,  so  old  were  they.  What  a  history  of  human  affections, 
hopes,  aspirations,  tribulations,  and  disappointments  lay  buried 
here !  New  works,  adding  additional,  strength  to  this  renowned 
fortress,  are  still  going  on.  *  *  *  * 

Thursday,  January  30th. —  *  *  *  *  Visited,  in  com 
pany  with  Colonel  Freemantle,  the  famous  fortifications,  passing 
through  the  galleries — three  tiers,  one  above  the  other — in  the 
north  end  of  the  Rock.  These  are  huge  tunnels,  extending  from 
a  third  to  half  a  mile,  with  embrasures  from  space  to  space  for 
cannon— the  solid  Rock  forming  the  casemates.  From  these  gal 
leries  we  emerged  out  on  a  narrow  footway  cut  in  the  rock,  and 
stood  perpendicularly  over  the  sea  breaking  at  our  feet,  and  had 
a  fine  view  of  the  N.E.  face  of  the  Rock  rising  in  a  magnificent 
mass  some  1500  feet.  From  this  point  a  tower,  called  the  Queen 
of  Spain's  Chair,  was  pointed  out  to  rne — on  the  height  opposite, 
to  the  northward.  The  legend  connected  with  which  is,  that  dur 
ing  one  of  the  sieges  of  1752,  the  Queen  of  Spain  came  to  this 
eminence  to  witness  the  assault  and  capture  of  the  place,  and  vowed 
she  would  not  descend  therefrom  until  the  flag  of  Spain  should 
wave  from  the  Rock.  The  assault  failed,  and  the  Queen  in  per 
formance  of  her  vow  refused  to  descend,  until  the  Governor  of  Gib 
raltar,  hearing  of  the  determination  of  her  Majesty,  sent  her  word 
that  he  would  at  a  given  hour  hoist  the  Spanish  ensign  that  she 
might  descend.  This  was  done,  and  the  Queen  was  rescued  from 
her  predicament  without  breaking  her  word. 

Having  finished  our  inspection  of  the  Rock,  we  went  through 
the  town,  and  passed  out  on  to  the  neutral  ground,  from  which  I 


CRUISE   OF  THE   ALABAMA  AND  THE   SUMTER.         81 

returned  after  a  four  hours'  ride  completely  broken  down.  On  the 
south  end,  under  a  perpendicular  wall  of  rock,  that  in  summer 
breaks  the  sun  from  an  early  hour  in  the  afternoon,  is  the  Gover 
nor's  summer  residence,  to  which  he  resorts  for  protection  against 
the  heat.  We  met  his  Excellency  and  lady,  who  had  come  out  to 
look  at  their  summer  home,  &c.  Colonel  Freemantle  told  me 
that  the  Spanish  Consul,  whom  he  pointed  out  as  we  passed  the 
Alameda,  had  stated  that  I  was  a  Spaniard,  or  at  least  that  my  fa 
ther  was — a  native  of  Catalonia — that  I  spoke  Catalan  as  well  as 
English,  and  that  my  name  was  a  common  one  in  that  province. 

Saturday,  February  1st. —  Witnessed  a  review  of  about  five 
thousand  troops  in  the  Alameda.  Drums  draped  with  black,  and 
the  ornaments  of  the  officers  covered  with  black  crape  in  respect 
to  the  memory  of  the  Prince  Consort. 

Sunday,  February  2nd. — Received  letters  from  N ,  inform 
ing  me,  that  as  my  ship  was  unseaworthy,  Mr.  Yancey  had  deter 
mined  to  send  me  the  new  one  built  at  Liverpool,  if  I  desired  it. 

Wednesday,  February  5th. — A  United  States  merchant  ship 
came  in  and  anchored.  Ready  for  sea.  Mr.  Joyce  came  on  board, 
and  went  afterwards  with  the  Engineer  on  shore  to  look  at  some 
coal.  Mr.  Joyce  sent  word  that  he  could  not  purchase  any,  there 
being  a  combination  against  us.  Sent  the  First  Lieutenant  to  the 
Governor  to  represent  the  facts  to  him,  and  to  ask  for  a  supply 
from  the  public  stores.  He  replied  he  had  no  coal  under  his  con 
trol,  tfiat  it  belo'nged  to  the  naval  officer,  but  that  he  did  not  think 
it  could  be  supplied.  Expresssd  his  astonishment  at  the  combi 
nation  of  the  merchants.  Sent  a  number  of  men  on  shore  on 
liberty. 

Friday,  February  1th. — Liberty-men  staying  over  their  time. 
Two  of  them  have  deserted  and  gone  over  to  the  II.  S.  Consul. 
One  of  them  has  been  badly  beaten  by  the  rest  of  the  men.  Eleven 
of  them  came  on  board  later.  Visited  by  a  Spanish  Lieutenant, 
who  had  been  directed  by  the  Spanish  Naval  Commander  at  Alge- 
ciras  to  see  me  and  state  that  the  U.  S.  Consul  had  complained  to 
the  Spanish  government  that  I  had  violated  the  neutrality  of  Spain 
by  capturing  the  barque  Neapolitan  within  a  mile  and  a  half  of 
Centra,  on  the  Morocco  coast,  and  that  the  Government  had  given 
the  Admiral  orders  to  see  that  both  belligerents  in  the  war  should 
respect  Spanish  neutrality.  I  stated  to  him  in  reply  that  any  ques 
tion  which  the  capture  might  present  was  a  matter  between  our 
two  Governments,  and  that  I  did  not  recognise  the  right  of  the 
Spanish  Admiral  to  inquire  into  the  matter.  To  this  the  Lieute 
nant  assented.  I  then  said  that  I  would  take  the  pleasure  of  show 
ing  him,  however,  for  the  information  of  the  Admiral,  that  the 

4* 


82         CRUISE   OF  THE  ALABAMA  AND  THE   SUMTER. 

truth  had  not  been  represented  to  his  Government  by  the  United 
States  Consul.  I  then  called  ray  clerk,  and  showed  him  the  de 
position  of  the  Master  of  the  captured  vessel,  in  which  it  was  stated 
that  the  capture  was  made  within  five  miles  of  Gibraltar !  The 
officer  seemed  equally  astonished  and  pleased,  and  expressed  his 
satisfaction. 

Saturday,  February  8th. — Early  this  morning  the  British  frigate 
Warrior  came  in,  and  anchored  near  us.  Sent  a  Lieutenant  on 
board  to  make  the  usual  complimentary  call.  Awaiting  the  arrival 
of  a  vessel  with  coal,  consigned  to  Mr.  Joyce,  who  promises  to 
supply  us.  My  coxswain  ran  off  to-day,  and  I  was  pulled  off  by  a 
drunken  crew. 

Sunday,  February  9th. — Did  not  go  to  church,  but  remained 
on  board  to  be  present  at  muster.  Eleven  of  my  vagabonds  still 
on  shore.  Some  of  these,  we  learn,  have  gone  to  the  United 
States  Consul,  and  claimed  his  protection.  This  official  has  been 
seducing  them  off  by  an  emissary.  Wrote  to  the  Governor 
charging  this  on  the  Consul,  and  wrote  also  to  Captain  Warden, 
asking  to  be  supplied  with  coal  from  the  Government  dockyard. 

C.  S.  Steamer  Sumter,  Bay  of  Gibraltar, 
Feb.  10,  1862. 

SIR, — I  have  the  honour  to  state  for  the  information  of  his 
Excellency  the  Governor  of  Gibraltar,  that  I  am  informed  and 
believe  that  the  United  States  Consul,  at  this  place,  has,  by  means 
of  his  emissaries,  tampered  with,  and  seduced  from  their  alle 
giance,  several  of  the  crew  of  my  ship  who  have  visited  the  shore 
on  liberty.  The  impropriety  and  illegality  of  such  conduct  is  so 
manifest  that  I  take  it  for  granted  his  Excellency  will  interpose 
his  authority  for  my  protection.  Great  Britain,  having  proclaimed 
a  strict  neutrality  in  the  war  now  pending  between  the  United 
States  and  Confederate  States,  is  under  the  obligation,  I  respect 
fully  suggest,  not  only  to  abstain  herself,  from  any  un-neutral  con 
duct,  but  to  see  that  all  persons  whatsoever  within  her  dominions 
so  abstain.  No  act  of  war,  proximate  or  remote,  should  be  tole 
rated  in  her  waters  by  the  one  belligerent  against  the  other,  or 
by  any  citizen  or  resident  against  either  belligerent.  His  Excel 
lency  will  doubtless  concur  with  me  in  the  justice  and  propriety 
of  the  rule  thus  stated.  To  apply  this  rule  to  the  present  case. 
Being  prompted  by  motives  of  humanity  to  send  my  crew  on 
shore,  in  small  detachments,  for  exercise  and  recreation,  after  a 
long  confinement  on  shipboard,  my  enemy,  the  United  States  Con 
sul,  sends  his  agents  among  them,  and  by  specious  pretences  per 
suades  them  to  desert  their  ship,  and  take  refuge  under  his  Con- 


CRUISE   OF   THE   ALABAMA   AND   THE   SUMTER.          83 

sular  flag.  This  has  been  done  in  the  case  of  the  following  sea 
men  : — Everett  Salmon,  John  G.  Jenkins,  Thomas  F.  Kenny,  and 
perhaps  others.  Here  is  an  act  of  war  perpetrated  against  me  in 
neutral  teritory,  and  the  consular  residence,  or  office,  has  become 
quoad  hoc  a  hostile  camp.  And  this  conduct  is  the  more  objec 
tionable  in  that  the  nationality  of  most  of  these  men  is  not  Ame 
rican.  His  Excellency,  as  a  soldier,  knows  that  no  crime  is  re 
garded  with  greater  detestation  in  the  present  civilized  age  of  the 
world,  than  the  one  here  described.  As  between  contending 
armies  in  the  field,  an  offender  caught  in  the  perpetration  of  such 
an  act,  would  be  subjected  to  instant  death  ;  and  this,  not  only 
because  the  act  is  an  act  of  war,  but  because  it  is  a  dishonourable 
act  of  war.  And  can  an  enemy  make  use  of  neutral  territory  to 
do  that,  which  would  subject  him  to  an  ignominious  death,  if  he 
were  without  such  territory,  and  within  reach  of  the  opposite 
belligerent?  When  .my  men  come  within  his  Excellency's  juris 
diction  I  lose  all  control  over  them,  and  must  rely  upon  his  comity 
to  regain  possession  of  them.  If  they  leave  me  of  their  own 
freewill,  in  the  absence  of  the  recognition  of  my  Government, 
and  of  treaty  stipulation,  perhaps  I  have  no  remedy.  But  when 
I  permit  them  to  go  on  shore,  and  enter  the  jurisdiction  of  a 
neutral  and  friendly  power,  I  do  so  with  the  just  expectation  that 
they  will  receive  the  shelter  and  protection  of  the  neutral  flag ; 
and  that  they  will  not  be  permitted  to  be  run  off  by  my  enemy ; 
and  to  wheedle  and  entice  a  sailor  from  his  ship,  and  that  too 
when,  perhaps,  he  is  half  drunk,  is  little  better  than  kidnapping  him. 
In  the  present  case,  the  violation  of  the  neutral  jurisdiction  is  as 
complete  as  if  the  Consul  had  seized  my  men  by  force;  for  he 
has  accomplished  the  same  object ;  to  wit,  weakening  his  enemy 
by  stratagem — a  stratagem  practised  by  one  belligerent  against 
another.  If  this  act  had  been  committed  by  a  military  or  naval 
officer  of  the  enemy,  transiently  within  the  limits  of  Gibraltar, 
every  one  would  have  been  surprised  at  it,  and  would  have 
exclaimed  against  it  as  a  flagrant  violation  of  the  law  of  nations. 
And  is  the  offence  of  less  magnitude  when  committed  by  a  Con 
sul,  who  is  peculiarly  favored  by  the  law  of  nations,  as  an  officer 
of  peace,  and  one  whose  pursuits  lie  wholly  in  the  walks  of  com 
merce?  Mr.  Sprague,  the  United  States  consul,  is  a  gentleman, 
whom  I  have  heard  favourably  spoken  of,  and  it  is  barely  possible 
I  may  do  him  injustice  in  imputing  to  him  the  conduct  described, 
but  the  evidence  came  to  me  in  a  very  satisfactory  shape,  and  I 
shall  be  ready  to  produce  it  if  the  allegation  be  denied.  Should 
the  proof  be  made  out  to  his  Excellency's  satisfaction,  I  shall 
deem  it  my  duty  to  request  that  the  Consul  be  suspended  from  his 


84         CKU1SE  OF  THE  ALABAMA  AND  THE  SUMTER. 

functions,  and   that  the   question   of  withdrawing  his  Exequatur 
be  referred  to  the  British  Government. 

I  have,  &c.,  <fcc., 
(Signed)  R.  SEMMES. 

To  Capt  J.  Freeling,  CoL  Sec. 

C.  8.  Steamer  Sumter,  Bay  of  Gibraltar, 
9  Feb.  10th. 

SIR, — I  have  the  honour  to  inform  you  that  I  have  made  every 
effort  to  procure  a  supply  of  coal,  without  success.  The  British 
and  other  merchants  of  Gibraltar,  instigated  I  learn  by  the  United 
States  Consul,  have  entered  into  the  un-neutral  combination  of  de 
clining  to  furnish  the  Sumter  with  coal  on  any  terms.  Under 
these  circumstances,  I  trust  the  Government  of  her  Majesty  will 
find  no  difficulty  in  supplying  me.  By  the  recent  letter  of  Earl 
Russell  (31st  January,  1862),  it  is  not  inconsistent  with  neutrality 
for  a  belligerent  to  supply  himself  with  coal  in  a  British  port.  In 
other  words,  this  article  has  been  pronounced,  like  provisions,  in 
noxious;  and  this  being  the  case,  it  can  make  no  difference 
whether  it  be  supplied  by  the  Government  or  an  individual  (the 
Government  being  reimbursed  the  expense),  and  this  even  though 
the  market  were  open  to  me.  Much  more,  then,  may  the  Govern 
ment  supply  me  with  an  innocent  article,  the  market  not  being 
open  to  me.  Suppose  I  had  come  into  port  destitute  of  provisions, 
and  the  same  illegal  combination  had  shut  me  out  from  the  mar 
ket,  would  the  British  Government  permit  my  crew  to  starve  ? 
Or,  suppose  I  had  been  a  sail  ship,  and  had  come  in  dismasted, 
and  the  dockyard  was  the  only  place  where  I  could  be  refitted, 
would  you  have  denied  me  a  mast  ?  and  if  you  would  not  deny 
me  a  mast,  on  what  principle  will  you  deny  me  coal,  both  articles 
being  declared  by  your  Government  innoxious?  The  true  cri 
terion  is,  not  whether  the  Government,  or  an  individual  may  sup 
ply  the  article,  but  whether  the  article  itself  be  noxious  or  innox 
ious.  The  Government  may  not  supply  rne  with  powder — why  ? 
Not  because  I  may  have  recourse  to  the  market,  but  because  the 
article  is  noxious.  A  case  in  point  occurred  when  I  was  in  Cadiz 
recently.  My  ship  was  admitted  into  a  Government  dock,  and 
there  repaired;  firstly,  because  the  repairs  were  innocent,  and, 
secondly,  because  there  were  no  private  docks  in  Cadiz.  So  here, 
the  article  is  innocent,  and  there  is  none  in  the  market  (accessible 
to  me) ;  why  then  may  not  the  Government  supply  me  ? 

In  conclusion,  I  respectfully  request  that  you  will  supply  me 
with  150  tons  of  coal,  for  which  I  will  pay  the  cash  ;  or  if  you 
prefer  it,  I  will  deposit  the  money  with  an  agent,  who  can  have  no 
difficulty,  I  suppose,  in  purchasing  the  same  amount  of  the  ma- 


CRUISE   OF  THE  ALABAMA  AND  THE  SUMTEK.         85 

terial  from  some  one  of  the  hulks,  and  returning  it  to  her  Majesty's 
dockyard. 

I  have,  &c., 

(Signed)  R.  SEMMES. 

Captain  K.  Warden,  Senior  Naval  Officer, 
Gibraltar. 

Monday,  February  Wth. —  *  *  *  *  Received  a  visit 
from  Captain  Cochrane,  of  the  Warrior,  son  of  the  late  Earl 
of  Dundonald,  notorious  in  the  war  of  1812,  and  distin. 
guished  in  the  South  American  service.  Wrote  the  following 
letter  : — 

C.  S.  Steamer  Sumter, 

Bay  of  Gibraltar,  Feb.  10, 1862. 

SIR, — I  have  the  honour  to  inform  you  that  I  have  this  day 
caused  to  be  paid  to  the  Spanish  Consul  at  this  port  the  amount 
of  the  bill  contracted  by  this  ship  under  my  command  while  in 
the  dock  at  Caracca. 

I  have,  &c., 

(Signed)  R.  SEMMES. 

To  the  Captain  of  the  Port,  Cadiz. 

Tuesday,  February  \\th. —  •  *  *  *  *  Five  men  in  con 
finement  !  The  d —  seems  to  have  got  into  my  crew.  I  shall 
have  to  tighten  the  reins  a  little. 

Wednesday,  February  12th. —  *  *  *  *  Called  on 
the  Governor  to  have  a  talk  with  him  on  the  subject  of  my  de 
serters.  He  took  the  ground  that  in  the  absence  of  treaty  stipu 
lations  he  could  not  deliver  a  fugitive  unwilling  to  be  returned. 
Whilst  I  was  with  him  the  Tuscarora  was  announced  by  the 
telegraph.  This  ship  came  in  and  anchored  near  us  about  12 
noon,  disguised  with  her  mainyards  down,  so  as  to  resemble  a 
merchant  steamer.  I  saw  Captain  Warden  on  shore  also.  He 
informed  me  that  the  question  of  my  being  coaled  by  the  dock 
yards  had  been  referred  by  telegraph  to  London. 

Thursday,  February  13 th. — Blowing  a  levanter.  In  the  morn 
ing  a  barque  dragged  foul  of  the  Tuscarora,  and  carried  away  her 
(the  barque's)  foreyards.  Later  in  the  day  the  Tuscarora  shifted 
her  berth  over  to  the  Spanish  shore,  near  San  Roque.  Several 
vessels  took  shelter  in  the  harbour  from  the  gale.  Among  them  a 
French  line-of-battle  ship,  and  a  Spanish  side-wheel  man-of-war. 
Shut  up  in  my  little  cabin  by  the  wet  weather,  I  have  time  to 
brood  gloomily  over  home  and  the  war,  and  the  prospects  of  our 
dear  South. 


86          CRUISE  OF  THE  ALABAMA  AND  THE  SUMTER. 

Friday,  February  l±th.  *  *  * — At  noon  the  Tuscarora  got 
under  way,  and  stood  over  to  Algeciras. 

Saturday,  February  15th. — Anniversary  of  the  day  of  my 
resignation  from  the  navy  of  the  United  States ;  and  what  an 
eventful  year  it  has  been !  The  Northern  States  have  been 
making  a  frantic  and  barbarous  war  upon  thirteen  states  and  nine 
millions  of  people  ;  in  face,  too,  of  Madison's  words  :  "If  there  be 
a  principle  that  ought  not  to  be  questioned  in  the  United  States, 
it  is  that  every  nation  has  the  right  to  abolish  an  old  Government 
and  establish  a  new  one.  This  principle  is  not  only  recorded  in 
every  public  archive,  written  in  every  American  heart,  and  sealed 
with  the  blood  of  a  host  of  American  martyrs,  but  it  is  the  only 
lawful  tenure  by  which  the  United  States  hold  their  existence  as 
a  nation."  And  then  what  flood-gates  of  private  misery  have 
been  raised  by  this  war — overwhelming  families  without  number 
in  utter  ruin  and  desolation. 

Reduced  my  worthless  sergeant  to  the  ranks,  and  promoted  a 
corporal  in  his  stead.  The  British  Parliament  met  on  the  6th, 
and  we  have  in  the  papers  to-day  the  address  to  the  Queen,  arid 
the  speeches  of  the  Earl  of  Derby  and  Lord  Palmerston.  From 
'the  general  tone  of  all  these  papers  we  shall  not  be  acknowledged 
at  present.  They  say  the  quarrel  is  no  business  of  theirs,  and  we 
must  fight  it  out.  Astute  Great  Britain  !  she  sees  that  we  are  able 
to  fight  it  out,  and  thus  her  darling  object  will  be  accomplished 
without  the  expenditure  of  blood  or  money. 

Sunday,  February  IMh. —  *  *  *  *  Visited  by  the 
Captain  of  the  Scylla  frigate. 

Monday,  February  1 7  th. —  *  *  *  *  Visited  the  Warrior. 
The  Governor  and  suite  and  a  number  of  naval  and  other  officers, 
civilians,  and  ladies  visited  her  by  appointment  at  the  same  time. 
The  Warrior  is  a  marvel  of  modern  naval  architecture,  and  for  a 
first  experiment  may  be  pronounced  a  success.  She  is  a  mon 
strous,  impregnable  floating  fortress,  and  will  work  a  revolution  in 
shipbuilding.  Wooden  ships,  as  battle-ships,  must  go  out  of  use. 
With  this  single  ship  I  could  destroy  the  entire  Yankee  fleet 
blockading  our  coast,  and  this  is  the  best  illustration  I  can  give 
for  the  necessity  of  this  revolution  in  shipbuilding.  The  British 
Government  has  declined  to  supply  me  with  coal  from  the  dock 
yard,  and  I  must  make  arrangements  to  get  it  from  Cadiz.  The 
London,  ship-of-the-line  steamer,  arrived. 

Tuesday,  February  18th. —  *  *  *  *  ^The  Southampton 
mail  steamer  arrived,  bringing  news  from  Lonuon  to  the  12th. 
The  news  of  the  defeat  and  death  of  General  Zollicoffer  is  con 
firmed. 


CRUISE   OF  THE  ALABAMA  AND  THE   SUMTER.         87 

Wednesday,  February  19th. — Called  on  Captain  Warden,  and 
had  a  conversation  with  him  on  Ui£  subject  of  our  blockade  by 
the  Tuscarora.  Called  his  attention  to  the  prevention  of  signals, 
the  Tuscarora  communicating  with  Gibraltar  by  boats.  Gave 
notice  if  the  Tuscarora  came  in  I  should  claim  precedence  of  de 
parture,  <fec.  The  Warrior  went  to  sea.  Judging  from  the  tone 
of  the  English  journals  there  is  no  prospect  of  our  immediate 
recognition.  Sent  to  Cadiz  for  coal. 

Thursday,  February  %]st. —  *  *  *  *  The  newspapers 
state  that  there  are  seven  Yankee  ships  in  pursuit  of  us — four 
steamers  and  three  sail-ships.  Three  of  the  steamers  were  at 
Teneriffe  on  the  llth  of  January.  A  report  has  reached  us  that 
our  Paymaster  and  ex-Consul  Tunstall  are  prisoners  in  Tangier ! 
Received  a  letter  from  Captain  Warden,  informing  me  that  the 
Governor  had  prohibited  all  vessels  in  the  harbour  from  making 
signals,  and  had  prohibited  the  Tuscarora  from  communicating 
with  the  harbour  by  boats  so  long  as  she-  remained  in  Spanish 
waters,  &c. 

Saturday,  February  22nd. — The  report  is  confirmed  of  the 
illegal  imprisonment  in  Tangier  of  Paymaster  Myers  and  Mr. 
Tunstall. 


CHAPTER  X. 

The  Tangier  difficulty — Loyalty  of  United  States  Consuls — A  daring 
act — Imprisonment  of  the  two  Confederates —  Captain  Semmes1  appeal 
— No  results — An  armed  force  from  the  Ino — Threatened  rescue — 
Neutrality  again — Foreign  Office  intelligence — The  Harvest  Home — 
Garnered. 

THE  imprisonment  of  the  two  gentlemen  alluded  to  at  the  con 
clusion  of  the  last  chapter,  is  an  episode  in  the  history  of  the 
S  imter  which  demands  something  more  than  mere  passing  notice. 
When  the  news  of  the  occurrence  reached  England  it  excited  a 
considerable  amount  of  attention,  as  not  only  did  the  case  exhibit 
some  curious  phases  of  the  working  of  the  law  of  '*  strict  neutral 
ity,"  but  it  also  afforded  a  very  excellent  idea  of  the  marvellous 
loyalty  of  one  of  the  United  States  Consuls.  Reference  has  been 
previously  made  to  the  zealous  conduct  of  the  consular  officials  of 
the  North. 

It  has  been  shown  that  at  Maranham,  Cayenne,  Paramaribo, 


88         CRUISE   OF  THE  ALABAMA  AND  THE   SUMTER. 

Cadiz,  and  Gibraltar,  the  respective  Yankee  Consuls  acted  upon 
the  broad  principle  that  every  Confederate  was  the  natural  enemy 
of  the  United  States,  and  a  rebel  to  boot.  Not  content  with 
simply  holding  this  opinion,  the  task  these  gentlemen  set  them 
selves  was,  to  indoctrinate  the  Governments  of  the  several  countries 
in  which  they  were  located  with  the  same  views  of  the  case.  In 
some  cases  they  succeeded  so  far  as  to  cause  considerable  vexation 
to  Captain  Semmes  ;  and  if  they  failed  to  convince  the  authorities, 
that  the  Sumter  was  a  piratical  craft,  they  at  least  succeeded  in 
occasionally  entailing  needless  delays  in  obtaining  those  necessary 
supplies,  which  as  an  officer  in  the  service  of  a  country  recognised 
as  a  belligerent,  the  commander  of  the  Sumter  had  a  right  to 
demand. 

The  Tangier  Consul,  however,  went  far  beyond  his  brethren,  for 
he  not  only  demanded,  but  succeeded  in  effecting  the  arrest  and 
imprisonment  of  an  officer  and  a  citizen  of  the  Confederate  States. 
These  gentlemen,  Mr.  Myers,  the  Paymaster  of  the  Sumter,  and 
Mr.  Tunstall,  a  private  Southern  gentleman,  had  been  despatched 
by  Captain  Semmes  from  Gibraltar  to  Cadiz,  in  search  of  coal. 
The  vessel  in  which  they  embarked  touched  at  Tangier,  and  the 
two  Americans  landed  for  the  purpose  of  inspecting  the  curious 
old  Moorish  city.  No  sooner  were  they  on  shore  than  the 
United  States  Consul  hastened  to  the  authorities,  denounced  his 
enemies,  and  demanded  their  arrest,  alleging  that  it  was  authorized 
by  treaty  stipulation  with  the  United  States.  After  vainly  im 
ploring  advice  from  the  representatives  of  the  Christian  Powers, 
the  sorely  perplexed  authorities  complied  with  this  demand,  and 
the  two  Confederates  were  seized,  heavily  ironed,  and  kept  prisoners 
in  the  Consul's  house.  At  the  very  first  opportunity  they  com 
municated  with  Captain  Semraes,  and  he  with  his  usual  prompti 
tude  at  once  despatched  the  following  letter  to  the  Governor  of 
Gibraltar : — 

0.  8.  Steamer  Surater,  Bay  of  Gibraltar, 
February  22nd,  1862. 

SiR,—I  have  the  honour  to  ask  the  good  offices  of  His  Excel 
lency  the  Governor  of  Gibraltar  in  a  matter  purely  my  own.  On 
Wednesday  last,  I  despatched  from  this  port,  in  a  French  passage- 
steamer  for  Cadiz,  on  business  connected  with  this  ship,  my  Pay 
master,  Mr.  Henry  Myers,  and  Mr.  T.  T.  Tunstall,  a  citizen  of  the 
Confederate  States,  and  ex-United  States  Consul  at  Cadiz.  The 
steamer  having  stopped  on  her  way  at  Tangier,  and  these  gentle 
men  having  gone  on  shore  for  a  walk  during  her  temporary  delay 
there,  they  were  seized  by  the  authorities,  at  the  instigation  of  the 
United  States  Consul,  and  imprisoned.  A  note  from  Paymaster 


CEUISE   OF  THE  ALABAMA  AND  THE  SUMTER.  89 

Myers  informs  me  they  are  both   heavily  ironed,  and  otherwise 
treated  in  a  barbarous  manner. 

I  learn  further  that  the  pretence  upon  which  the  unlawful  pro 
ceeding  was  had,  is,  that  it  is  authorized  by  treaty  stipulation  with 
the  United  States.  Unfortunately  I  have  not  a  copy  of  this  treaty 
in  my  possession  ;  but  I  presume  it  provides  in  the  usual  form,  for 
the  extradition  of  criminals,  and  nothing  more.  I  need  not  say  to 
his  Excellency  that  treaties  of  this  description  are  never  applied 
to  political  offenders — which  I  presume  is  the  only  category  in 
which  the  United  States  Consul  pretends  to  place  these  two  gen 
tlemen.  An  occurrence  of  this  kind  could  not  have  happened,  of 
course,  in  a  civilized  community.  The  political  ignorance  of  the 
Moorish  Government  has  been  shamefully  practised  upon  by  the 
unscrupulous  Consul.  I  understand  that  the  British  Government 
has  a  diplomatic  agent  resident  at  Tangier,  and  a  word  from  that 
gentleman  would  no  doubt  set  the  matter  right,  and  insure  the  re 
lease  of  the  unfortunate  prisoners.  And  it  is  to  interest  this  gen 
tleman  in  this  humane  task  that  I  address  myself  to  his  Excellency. 
May  I  not  ask  the  favour  of  his  Excellency,  under  the  peculiar  cir 
cumstances  of  the  case,  to  address  Mr.  Hay  a  note  on  the  subject, 
explaining  to  him  the  facts,  and  requesting  his  interposition?  If 
any  official  scruples  present  themselves,  the  thing  might  be  done 
in  his  character  as  a  private  gentleman.  The  Moorish  Govern 
ment  would  not  hesitate  a  moment,  if  it  understood  correctly  the 
facts  and  principles  of  the  case  ;  to  wit,  that  the  principal  powers 
of  Europe  have  recognised  the  Confederate  States  as  belligerents,  in 
their  war  against  the  United*  States,  and  that,  consequently,  the 
act  of  making  war  against  these  States  by  the  citizens  of  the  Con 
federate  States,  is  not  an  offence,  political  or  otherwise,  of  which 
a  neutral  can  take  cognizance ;  and  even  if  it  were  the  former,  no 
extradition  treaty  is  ever  meant  to  apply  to  such  a  case. 

I  have  the  honour,  &c.  <fec. 
(Signed)         R.  SEMMES. 

Capt.  S.  Freeling,  Col.  Sec. 

This  letter  was  unattended  with  success,  the  maintenance  of 
strict  neutrality  being  a  barrier  in  the  way  of  any  interference  on 
the  part  of  the  British  authorities  at  Gibraltar.  Accordingly, 
Captain  Semmes  penned  the  subjoined  formal  protest,  and  de 
spatched  it  to  the  Governor  of  Tangier. 

C.  8.  Steamer  of  war  Sumter,  Bay  of  Gibraltar, 

February  23rd,  1862. 
His  Excellency  the  Governor  of  Tangier,  Morocco  : 

I  have  the  honour  to  inform  your  Excellency  that  intelligence 


90  CRUISE   OF  THE   ALABAMA   AND  THE   SUMTEB. 

has  reached  me  of  the  imprisonment  by  the  Moorish  Government 
at  Tangier,  of  Mr.  Henry  Myers,  the  Paymaster  of  this  ship,  and 
Mr.  T.  T.  Tunstall,  a  citizen"  of  the  Confederate  States,  and  Into 
United  States  Consul  at  Cadiz.  I  learn  further,  that  these  gentle 
men  are  heavily  ironed,  and  otherwise  treated  with  inhumanity. 
I  am  utterly  at  a  loss  to  conceive  on  what  ground  this  illegal  im 
prisonment  can  have  taken  place ;  though  I  learn  that  the  United 
States  Consul  demanded  it,  under  some  claim  of  extradition  treaty 
stipulation.  A  word  or  two  will  suffice  to  set  this  matter  right. 
It  must,  of  course,  be  known  to  your  Excellency,  that  the  Con 
federate  States  have  been  acknowledged  by  the  principal  powers 
of  Europe,  as  belligerents  in  the  war  in  which  they  are  engaged 
with  the  United  States ;  and  that,  consequently,  the  Paymaster 
of  this  ship,  in  any  act  of  war  in  which  he  may  have  participated, 
can  have  been  guilty  of  no  offence,  political  or  otherwise,  of  which 
any  neutral  power  can  take  cognizance.  Indeed,  as  before  stated, 
the  neutral  powers  of  Europe  have  expressly  recognised  the  right 
of  the  Confederate  States  to  make  war  against  the  United  States. 
No  extradition  treaty  therefore  can  apply  to  Paymaster  Myers. 
Mr.  Tunstall  not  being  in  the  military  or  naval  service  of  the  Con 
federate  States,  can  no  more  be  brought  within  the  terms  of  any 
such  treaty  than  Paymaster  Myers.  I  have,  therefore,  respectfully 
to  demand,  in  the  name  of  my  Government,  and  in  accordance 
with  the  laws  arid  practice  of  nations,  that  these  two  citizens  of 
the  Confederate  States  be  set  at  liberty. 

I  have  the  honour,  &c.,  &c. 

(Signed)  R.  SEMMES. 

Determined  to  leave  no  stone  unturned,  the  Commander  of  the 
Sumter  sought  to  interest  the  British  Charge  d' Affaires  in  the  fate 
of  the  two  prisoners,  as  will  be  seen  by  the  annexed  letter  : — 

C.  8.  Steamer  Sumter.  Bay  of  Gibraltar, 
February  28rd,  1S64. 

SIR, — May  I  ask  of  you  the  favour  to  act  unofficially  for  me  in 
a  matter  of  humanity,  by  handing  to  the  proper  officer  the  en 
closed  communication,  demanding  the  release  from  imprisonment 
in  Tangier  of  the  Paymaster  of  this  ship,  and  of  Mr.  T.  T.  Tun 
stall,  a  citizen  of  the  Confederate  States.  The  Moorish  authorities 
have  evidently  been  imposed  upon  by  false  representations  as  to 
th<»  character  and  status  of  these  gentlemen.  I  hear  that  the 
Unite*  1  States  Consul  demanded  their  imprisonment  under  some 
extradition  treaty.  The  absurdity  of  such  a  claim  will  of  course 
be  apparent  to  you.  We  are  recognised  belligerents  ;  our  acts  of 


CRUISE  OF  THE  ALABAMA  AND  THE  SUMTER.     91 

war  are  legal  therefore,  so  far  as  all  neutrals  are  concerned,  and  it 
cannot  be"  pretended  that  any  officer  of  this  ship  can  have  com 
mitted  any  offence  in  any  act  of  war  in  which  he  may  have  par 
ticipated  against  the  United  States,  which  Morocco  can  take  cog 
nizance  ot^  or  bring  under  the  terms  of  any  extradition  treaty. 
I  have  the  honour  to  be,  <fcc.,  &c. 

(Signed)  R.  SEMMES. 

John  Hay  Drummond  Hay,  C  B., 

H.  M.  Chargg  d1  Affaires,  Tangier,  Marocco. 

On  the  24th  Mr.  Hay  replied,  and  the  following  extract  from 
his  communication  will  best  explain  the  grounds  he  assumed  : — 
"You,"  he  writes,  "  must  be  aware  that  Her  Britannic  Majesty's 
Government  have  decided  on  observing  a  strict  neutrality  in  the 
present  conflict  between  the  Northern  and  Southern  States  ;  it  is 
therefore  incumbent  on  Her  Majesty's  officers  to  avoid  anything 
like  undue  interference  in  any  questions  affecting  the  interests  of 
either  party  which  do  not  concern  the  British  government ;  and 
though  I  do  not  refuse  to  accede  to  your  request  to  deliver  the 
letter  to  the  Moorish  authorities,  I  think  it  my  duty  to  signify 
distinctly  to  the  latter  my  intention  to  abstain  from  expressing  an 
opinion  regarding  the  course  to  be  pursued  by  Morocco  on  the 
subject  matter  of  your  letter." 

To  this  despatch  Captain  Semmes  forthwith  replied,  and  his 
letter  is  remarkable  for  the  able  manner  in  which  the  question  of 
neutrality  is  dealt  with.  After  thoroughly  reviewing  the  transac 
tion,  he  sums  up  as  follows : — 

"Upon  further  inquiry  I  learn  that  my  first  supposition  that  the 
two  gentlemen  in  question  had  been  arrested  under  some  claim  of 
extradition  (unfortunately  I  have  not  a  copy  of  the  treaty  between 
Morocco  and  the  United  States)  was  not  exactly  correct.  It  seems 
that  they  were  arrested  by  Moorish  soldiers  upon  the  requisition 
of  the  United  States  Consul,  who  claimed  to  exercise  jurisdiction 
over  them  as  citizens  of  the  United  States,  under  a  provision  of  a 
treaty  common  between  what  are  called  the  non-civilized  and  the 
civilized  nations.  This  state  of  facts  does  not  alter  in  any  degree 
the  reasoning  applicable  to  the  case.  If  Morocco  adopts  the  status 
given  the  Confederate  States  by  Europe,  she  must  remain  neutral 
between  the  two  belligerents,  not  undertaking  to  judge  of  the  na 
tionality  of  the  citizens  of  either  of  the  belligerents,  or  to  decide 
any  other  question  growing  out  of  the  war  which  does  not  concern 
her  own  interests.  She  has  no  right,  therefore,  to  adjudge  a  citi 
zen  of  the  Confederate  States  to  be  a  citizen  of  the  United  States, 
and  not  having  this  right  herself  she  cannot  transfer  it  by  treaty 
to  the  United  States  Consul." 


92         CKUISE   OF  THE  ALABAMA  AND  THE   SUMTER. 

The  communication,  however,  produced  no  effect;  and,  mean 
while,  another  step  was  taken  at  Tangier.  The  United  States 
frigate  Ino  no  sooner  learnt  the  news  of  the  capture  made  by  the 
Consul  than  it  ran  over  to  Tangier,  sent  a  boat  on  shore  with 
armed  men,  and  carried  off  the  prisoners.  This  proceeding  was 
not,  however,  allowed  to  be  performed  quite  so  quietly  as  the  Yan 
kees  could  have  wished.  The  Christian  population,  exasperated  at 
the  arrest,  turned  out  in  force,  and  fears  were  entertained  that  even 
the  forty  men  from  the  Ino  would  not  be  able  to  secure  the  safety 
of  their  prize.  But  here  the  neutral  powers  were  of  assistance  : 
their  representatives,  with  Mr.  Drummond  Hay  at  their  head,  came 
to  the  aid  of  the  captors,  calmed  the  mob,  and  thus  averting  the 
threatened  rescue,  enabled  the  United  States  to  carry  off  the  two 
Confederates  on  board  the  Ino. 

Captain  Semmes,  finding  he  could  do  nothing  with  the  authori 
ties  at  Tangier,  communicated  with  Mr.  Mason,  the  Confederate 
commissioner  in  London,  and  that  gentleman  made  strong  repre 
sentations  at  the  Foreign  Office,  with  what  results  the  following 
statements  of  facts  will  show. 

It  was  on  the  28th  of  February  that  the  captives  were  finally 
carried  off  from  neutral  territory,  by  an  armed  force  from  an  ene 
my's  ship.  On  the  8th  of  March,  Mr.  Mason  was  informed  by  the 
Under-Secretary,  that  the  British  Government  was  under  the  im 
pression  that  they  had  been  released  from  confinement.  On  the 
6th  of  March,  just  two  days  before  Mr.  Mason  received  this  intelli 
gence,  the  Ino,  which  had  run  back  to  Cadiz,  transferred  the  two 
unfortunate  prisoners  to  the  Yankee  merchant  ship,  Harvest  Home, 
which  carried  them  away  to  a  prison  in  the  United  States. 

Such  was  the  history  of  the  Tangier  difficulty — a  question 
which,  at  the  time,  created  considerable  stir  in  Europe,  and  which 
is  likely  to  leave  a  lasting  impression  upon  the  Southern  mind. 


CHAPTER  XI. 

"  The  poor  old  Sumter"—The  vessel  laid  up—  What  the  Sumter  did — 
Official  report — A  narrow  escape — Movements  of  Captain  Semmes — 
Useful  missions — Appointment  to  the  Alabama. 

MEANWHILE  the  search  for  coal  had  been  continued  by  the  Sum- 
ter  and  at  length  a  promise  of  a  supply  had  been  obtained.     It 


CRUISE   OF  THE  ALABAMA  AND  THE   SUMTER.         93 

so  happened,  however,  that  this  supply,  so  long  sought  and  so 
hardly  won,  would  after  all  never  be  required. 

The  little  Sumter's  days  as  a  cruiser  were  numbered.  By  no 
means  a  new  boat  when  first  converted  by  Captain  Semmes  into  a 
vessel  of  war,  the  hard  work  and  rough  usage  she  had  experienced  in 
her  seven  months  at  sea,  had  been  too  much  for  her  already  enfeebled 
constitution,  and  she  was  now  little  better  than  a  wreck.  At  last 
she  fairly  broke  down  altogether,  was  surveyed  by  a  board  of 
her  officers,  pronounced  unseaworthy,  and  on  the  24th  of  February 
Captain  Semmes  makes  the  following  entry  in  his  journal : — 

"  And  so  the  poor  old  Sumter  is  to  be  laid  up.  Well !  we  have 
done  the  country  some  service,  having  cost  the  United  States  at 
least  a  million  of  dollars,  one  way  or  another!" 

And  so  she  unquestionably  had.  Eighteen  vessels  captured ; 
seven  burned,  with  all  their  cargo  on  board  ;  and  two  released  on 
heavy  ransom  bonds,  represent  in  themselves  no  inconsiderable 
amount  of  damage.  Add  to  this  the  amount  really  expended  in 
pursuit  of  her;  the  enormously  increased  rates  of  insurance;  the 
heavy  losses  from  reluctance  to  entrust  goods  in  United  States 
bottoms,  or  to  send  ships  themselves  to  sea  under  the  United 
States  colours,  and  we  have  an  aggregate  of  loss  that  a  million  of 
dollars  can  hardly  cover. 

Her  career  was  now  over;  but  she  was  ere  long  to  find  a  suc 
cessor  under  the  same  command,  beside  whose  exploits  her  own 
were  to  sink  almost  into  insignificance.  The  events  of  the  few 
mouths  that  elapsed  between  the  final  abandonment  of  the  Sum 
ter  and  the  Alabama's  start  on  her  adventurous  career,  may  best 
be  gathered  from  Captain  Semmes'  own  official  report  to  the 
Secretary  of  the  Navy  at  Richmond. 

Nassau,  New  Providence,  June  15  to  20, 1862. 

SIR, — I  have  the  honour  to  inform  you  of  my  arrival  at  this 
place,  on  the  8th  instant,  in  twenty  days,  from  London.  I  found 
here  Lieutenants  Maffit  and  Sinclair,  and  received  from  the  former 
your  letter  of  May  29th,  enclosing  a  copy  of  your  despatch  to 
me  of  May  2d.  As  you  might  conclude  from  the  fact  of  my 
being  here,  the  original  of  the  latter  communication  had  not 
reached  me ;  nor,  indeed,  had  any  communication  whatever  from 
the  department.  As  you  anticipated,  it  became  necessary  for  me 
to  abandon  the  Sumter,  in  consequence  of  my  being  hemmed  in 
by  the  enemy  in  a  place  where  it  was  impossible  to  put  the  neces 
sary  repairs  upon  her  to  make  her  fit  to  take  the  sea.  For  some 
days  after  my  arrival  at  Gibraltar,  I  had  hopes  of  being  able  to 
reach  another  English  or  a  French  port,  where  I  might  find 


94:         CRUISE   OF  THE  ALABAMA  AND  THE   SUMTER. 

the  requisite  facilities  for  repair,  and  I  patched  my  boilers,  and 
otherwise  prepared  my  ship  for  departure.  Jn  consequence  of  a 
combination  of  the  coal  merchants  against  me,  however,  I  was  pre 
vented  from  coaling ;  and,  in  the  meantime,  the  enemy's  steamers, 
Tuscarora  and  Kearsarge,  and  the  sailing  sloop  Ino,  too,  arrived 
and  blockaded  me.  Notwithstanding  the  arrival  of  these  vessels, 
I  should  have  made  an  effort  to  go  to  sea,  but  for  the  timely  dis 
covery  of  further  defects  in  my  boilers,  which  took  place  under 
the  following  circumstances  : — An  English  steamer,  having  arrived 
from  Liverpool  with  an  extra  quantity  of  coal  on  board,  offered 
to  supply  me.  I  got  steam  up  to  go  alongside  of  her  for  the  pur 
pose,  when,  with  a  very  low  pressure,  my  boilers  gave  way  in  so 
serious  a  manner  as  to  extinguish  the  fires  in  one  of  the  furnaces. 
I  was  obliged,  of  course,  to  "blow  off;"  and  upon  a  re-examina 
tion  of  the  boilers,  by  a  board  of  survey,  it  was  ascertained  that 
they  had  been  destroyed  to  such  an  extent  as  to  render  them 
entirely  untrustworthy.  It  was  found,  indeed,  to  be  necessary 
either  to  supply  the  ship  with  new  boilers  or  to  lift  the  old  ones 
out  of  her,  and  renew  entirely  the  arches  and  other  important 
parts  of  them,  which  could  only  be  done  in  a  machinist's  shop, 
and  with  facilities  not  to  be  found  at  Gibraltar.  In  this  state  of 
things,  it  became  necessary,  in  my  judgment,  either  to  lay  the 
ship  up,  or  to  sell  her.  Of  course,  the  remaining  by  her  of  my 
self,  my  officers  and  crew,  in  her  disabled  and  useless  condition, 
was  not  to  be  thought  of.  Still,  I  felt  that  the  responsibility  was 
a  grave  one  ;  and  deeming  it  more  respectful  to  the  department 
that  it  should  be  assumed  by  some  one  higher  in  authority  than 
myself,  I  reported  the  facts  to  the  Hon.  James  M.  Mason,  our 
commissioner  in  London,  and  requested  him  to  assume  the  power.* 

»  The  following  is  the  letter  here  referred  to : — 

C.  S.  Steamer  Sumter,  Bay  of  Gibraltar, 

March  3rd,  1862. 

SIR, — I  had  the  honour  to  address  you  a  note  a  day  or  two  ago,  requesting 
you  to  assume  the  responsibility  of  giving  me  an  order  to  lay  the  Surnter  up, 
that  my  officers  and  myself  may  return  to  the  Confederate  States,  to  take  a 
more  active  part  in  the  war.  I  now  enclose  you  a  copy  of  a  letter  addressed 
to  me  by  the  wardroom  officers  of  this  ship  on  the  same  subject,  by  which 
you  will  perceive  that  there  is  no  difference  of  opinion  between  us  as  to  the 
policy  and  propriety  of  the  step  indicated.  Each  succeeding  mail  is  bringing 
us  intelligence  that  the  enemy  is  pressing  us  on  all  sides,  and  it  would  seem 
that  we  shall  have  occasion  for  every  arm  and  all  our  energies  and  resources 
to  defend  ourselves.  The  most  that  we  could  hope  to  accomplish  by  remain 
ing  where  we  are  would  be,  perhaps,  to  occupy  the  attention  of  an  additional 
steamer  of  the  enemy.  One  steamer  will  always  remain  to  watch  the  ship, 
in  whatever  condition  she  may  be ;  and  probably  no  more  than  two  would 


CRUISE  OF  THE  ALABAMA  AND  THE  SUMTER.         95 

This  he  did  very  promptly,  and  in  a  few  days  afterwards  I  dis 
charged  and  paid  off  in  full  all  the  crew,  except  ten  men,  and 
detached  all  the  officers,  except  Midshipman  Armstrong  and  a 
Master's  Mate.  I  placed  Mr.  Armstrong  in  charge  of  the  ship, 
supplied  him  with  money  and  provisions  sufficient  tor  himself  and 
his  diminished  crew  for  ten  months,  and  departed  myself  for  Lon 
don,  whither  most  of  the  officers  also  repaired  on  their  way  to  the 
Confederate  States.  Upon  my  arrival  in  London,  I  found  that  the 
Oreto  (Florida)  had  been  despatched  some  weeks  before  to  this 
place  ;  and  Commander  Bullock  having  informed  me  that  he  had 
your  orders  to  command  the  second  ship  he  was  building,  him 
self,  I  had  no  alternative  but  to  return  to  the  Confederate  States 
for  orders.  It  is  due  to  Commander  Bullock  to  say,  that  he 
offered  to  place  himself  entirely  under  my  orders,  and  even  to 
relinquish  to  me  the  command  of  the  ship  he  was  building;  but 
I  did  not  feel  at  liberty  to  interfere  with  your  orders.  Whilst  in 
London,  I  ascertained  that  a  number  of  steamers  were  being  pre 
pared  to  run  the  blockade  with  arms,  &c.,  and  instead  of  despatch 
ing  my  officers  at  once  for  the  Confederate  States,  I  left  men  to 
take  charge  of  these  ships,  as  they  should  be  gotten  ready,  and 
run  them  in,  deeming  this  the  best  service  they  could  render  the 
Government  under  the  circumstances.  I  came  hither  myself 
(accompanied  by  my  First-Lieutenant  and  Surgeon),  a  passenger  in 

continue  the  blockade  if  the  officers  remained  by  her.  The  enemy,  having 
some  300  armed  ships  afloat,  one  ship  would  seem  to  make  no  appreciable 
difference  in  his  offensive  force.  I  would  not  press  this  matter  upon  you  so 
earnestly  if  there  was  any  certainty  of  my  hearing  from  the  Secretary  of  the 
Navy  in  any  reasonable  time ;  but  my  despatches  are  liable  to  capture,  as 
are  his  despatches  to  me,  and  many  months  may  therefore  elapse  before  I 
can  receive  his  orders.  I  can  readily  understand  how,  under  ordinary  cir 
cumstances,  you  might  hesitate  about  giving  me  this  order,  but  there  are 
frequent  occasions  in  which  responsibility  must  be  assumed,  and  I  respectfully 
suggest  that  this  is  one  of  them.  To  lay  the  Sumter  up  without  an  order 
from  the  naval  department  involves  responsibility  either  in  you  or  in  me ; 
and.  as  I  stated  to  you  in  my  last  note,  it  appears  to  me  that  the  responsi 
bility  may  be  assumed  by  you  with  more  propriety  than  by  myself,  as  you 
are  a  high  functionary  of  the  Government,  while  I  am  a  mere  subordinate 
of  a  department.  The  question  of  expense,  too,  is  to  be  considered — the 
expenses  of  the  ship,  with  the  utmost  economy,  being,  in  round  numbers, 
1000  dollars  per  month.  Should  you  decide  upon  giving  me  the  order,  do 
me  the  favour  to  telegraph  me  as  follows,  viz. : — '-Your  request  is  granted — 
act  accordingly."  Address  me  also  by  mail,  as  it  will  take  some  days  to 
wind  up  affairs,  and  I  shall  have  ample  time  to  receive  your  letter  before 
leaving  for  London. 

Respectfully,  <fec.  &c. 

(Signed)  R.  SEMMES. 

Hon.  Ja*.  Mason,  Com.,  «fec.,  London. 


96    CRUISE  OF  THE  ALABAMA  AND  THE  SUMTER. 

the  British  steamer  Melita,  laden  with  arms,  &CM  with  the  same 
intention.  It  is  fortunate  that  I  made  this  arrangement,  as  many 
of  my  officers  still  remain  in  London,  and  I  shall  be  able  to  detain 
them  there,  to  take  them  with  me  in  the  execution  of  your  order 
of  the  2nd  of  May,  assigning  me  to  the  command  of  the  Alabama. 
In  obedience  to  this  order  1  shall  return  by  the  first  conveyance 
to  England,  when  the  joint  energies  of  Commander  Bullock  and 
myself  will  be  dedicated  to  the  "preparation  of  this  ship  for  sea. 
I  will  take  with  me  Lieut.  Kell,  Surgeon  Gait,  and  Lieutenant  of 
Marines,  Howell — Mr.  Howell  and  Lieut.  Stribling  having  reached 
this  port  a  few  days  before  me,  in  the  British  steamer  Bahama, 
from  Hamburgh,  laden  with  arms,  &c.,  for  the  Confederacy.  At 
the  earnest  entreaty  of  Lieut.  Commanding  Maffit,  I  have  con 
sented  to  permit  Lieut.  Stribling  to  remain  with  him  as  his  First 
Lieut.,  on  board  the  Florida ;  and  the  Florida's  officers  not  yet 
having  arrived,  Mr.  Stribling's  place  on  board  the  Alabama  will 
be  filled  by  Midshipman  Armstrong,  promoted. 

It  will,  doubtless,  be  a  matter  of  some  delicacy  and  manage 
ment  to  get  the  Alabama  safely  out  of  British  waters  without 
suspicion,  as  Mr.  Adams,  the  Northern  envoy,  and  his  numerous 
satellites  are  exceedingly  vigilant  in  their  espionage.  We  cannot, 
of  course,  think  of  arming  her  in  a  British  port.  This  must  be 
done  at  some  concerted  rendezvous,  to  which  her  battery  (and  the 
most  of  her  crew)  must  be  sent  in  a  merchant  vessel. 

The  Alabama  will  be  a  fine  ship,  quite  equal  to  encounter  any 
of  the  enemy's  sloops  of  the  class  of  the  Dacotah,  Iroqnois,  Tus- 
carora,  <fec. ;  and  I  shall  feel  much  more  independent  in  her  upon 
the  high  seas  than  I  did  in  the  little  Sumter.  I  think  well  of 
your  suggestion  of  the  East  Indies  as  a  cruising-ground,  and  hope 
to  be  in  the  track  of  the  enemy's  commerce  in  those  seas  as  early  as 
October  or  November  next,  when  I  shall  doubtless  be  able  to  make 
other  rich  "  burnt-offerings"  upon  the  altar  of  our  country's  liberties. 

Lieutenant  Sinclair  having  informed  me  that  you  said,  in  a 
conversation  with  him,  that  I  might  dispose  of  the  Sumter  either 
by  laying  her  up  or  selling  her,  as  my  judgment  might  approve,  I 
will,  unless  I  receive  contrary  orders  from  you,  dispose  of  her  by 
sale  upon  my  arrival  in  Europe.  As  the  war  is  likely  to  continue 
for  two  or  three  years  yet,  it  would  be  an  useless  expense  to  keep 
a  vessel  so  comparatively  worthless  so  long  at  her  anchors.  1  will 
cause  to  be  sent  to  the  Alabama  her  chronometers,  charts,  &c.T 
and  I  will  transfer  to  the  vessel  her  remaining  officers  and  crew. 

In  conclusion,  permit  me  to  thank  you  very  sincerely  for  this 
new  proof  of  youi  confidence,  and  for  your  kind  intention  to 
nominate  me  as  one  of  the  "  Captains"  under  the  new  Navy  Bill. 


CRUISE  OF  THE  ALABAMA  AND  THE  SUMTER.    97 

I  trust  I  shall  prove  myself  worthy  of  these  marks  of  your  ap 
probation. 

(Signed)  R.  SEMMES. 

Hon.  S.  Mallory,  Sec.  of  the  Nayy. 


CHAPTER  XII. 

The  new  vessel — Aide  toi  et  Dieu  t'aidera — Accommodation  on  board — 
Cost — Laws  of  neutrality — Necessary  caution — The  f2(Jth  of  July — A 
breakfast  party — The  scene  changed — Off — The  pursuit — Too  late. 

THE  vessel  to  which  Captain  Semmes  was  now  appointed  had 
been  built  expressly  for  the  Confederate  navy,  by  Messrs.  Laird 
and  Sons,  of  Biikenhead.  She  was  a  small  fast  screw  steam-sloop, 
of  1040  tons  register,  not  ironclad,  as  was  at  one  time  erroneously 
supposed,  but  built  entirely  of  wood,  and  of  a  scantling  and  gene 
ral  construction,  in  which  strength  had  been  less  consulted  than 
speed.  Her  length  over  all  was  about  220  feet,  length  of  keel, 
210  feet;  breadth  of  beam,  32  feet,  and  18  feet  from  deck  to  keel. 
She  carried  two  magnificent  engines,  on  the  horizontal  principle, 
constructed  by  the  same  firm,  and  each  of  the  power  of  300  horses ; 
while  her  coal-bunkers  were  calculated  to  accommodate  about  350 
tons  of  coal. 

The  Alabama,  or  as  she  should  as  yet  be  called,  "  No.  290," 
was  barque-rigged,  her  standing  gear  being  formed  throughout  of 
wire  rope  ;  thus  combining  strength  with  lightness  to  the  utmost 
possible  extent.  Her  ordinary  suit  of  sails  consisted  of  the  usual 
square  sails  in  the  foremast,  fore  topmast  staysail  and  jib,  large 
fore  and  main  topsails,  maintop  sail,  topgallant  sail  arid  royal,  and 
on  the  mizen-rnast  spanker  and  gaff  topsail.  Occasionally,  this 
rig  would  be  varied,  as  was  the  case  in  entering  Cherbourg,  just 
before  the  close  of  her  eventful  career,  when  a  crossjack  yard  was 
got  up  across  the  mizen-mast,  with  mizen  topsail  and  topgallant 
yards  to  match  ;  and  the  Alabama  assumed  for  a  time  the  ap 
pearance  of  a  full-rigged  ship.  This,  however,  was  only  a  tempo 
rary  ruse,  and  her  ordinary  cruising  sails  were  similar  to  those 
commonly  in  use  with  vessels  of  her  class. 

A  little  forward  of  the  mizen-mast  was  placed  the  steering 
apparatus,  a  large  double  wheel,  inscribed  with  the  significant 
words :  Aide  toi  et  Dieu  faidera ;  a  motto  which,  in  the  case 

5 


98         CRUISE   OF  THE  ALABAMA  AND  THE  SUMTER. 

of  the  Alabama,  has  been  better  acted  up  to  than  such  legends 
usually  are.  Just  before  the  funnel,  and  near  the  centre  of  the 
vessel,  was  the  bridge,  at  either  side  of  which  hung  the  two 
principal  boats,  cutter  and  launch  ;  a  gig,  and  whale-boat,  being 
suspended  from  the  davits  on  either  side  of  the  quarter-deck,  and 
a  small  dingy  over  the  stern.  On  the  main  deck  she  was  pierced 
for  twelve  guns,  with  two  heavy  pivot  guns  amidships.  Her 
lines  were  beautifully  fine,  with  sharp  flaring  bows,  billet  head, 
and  elliptic  stern.  •  The  cabin  accommodation  was  perhaps  some 
what  scanty,  but  this,  in  so  small  a  vessel,  built  altogether  for 
speed,  not  comfort,  was  scarcely  to  be  avoided.  The  semicircular 
stern-cabin  was,  of  course,  appropriated  to  the  captain,  with  a 
small  stateroom  opening  out  from  it  in  the  starboard  side.  For 
ward  of  this  came  the  companion  ladder,  and  forward  of  this 
again  the  wardroom,  or  senior  officers'  mess,  with  small  cabins 
on  either  side  for  the  lieutenants,  surgeon,  and  other  officers. 
Passing  through  the  wardroom,  the  visitor  entered  the  gunroom, 
or  "steerage,"  allotted  on  the  starboard  side  to  the  midshipmen, 
and  on  the  port  to  the  engineers.  Next  came  the  engine-room, 
occupying  an  unusual  space  for  a  vessel  of  the  Alabama's  size ; 
the  coal  bunkers,  &c. ;  and  finally,  the  berth-deck,  or  forecastle, 
•with  accommodation  for  120  men.  The  lower  portion  of  the 
vessel  was  divided  into  three  compartments,  of  about  equal 
dimensions.  In  the  aftermost  were  store-rooms,  shell-rooms,  &c. ; 
the  midship  section  contained  the  furnaces  and  fire-rooms ;  whilst 
the  forward  compartment  was  occupied  by  the  hold,  the  maga 
zines,  and  the  boatswain's  and  carpenter's  stores. 

Such  was  the  Alabama,  or,  as  she  was  long  called,  "No.  290;" 
and  considering  the  peculiar  circumstances  under  which  she  was 
built,  the  numerous  requirements  to  be  satisfied,  and  the  perfec 
tion  of  the  workmanship  throughout  the  vessel,  the  cost  of  her 
construction  and  armament  cannot  but  be  considered  marvellously 
small.  The  builder's  charge  for  hull,  spars,  sails,  boats,  cable,  and 
all  equipment,  except  armament,  was  £47,500.  To  this  must  be 
added  the  cost  of  her  batteries,  £2500;  magazine  tanks,  £616  ; 
ordnance  stores,  £500  ;  and  small  arms,  £600,  making  a  total 
cost  of  £51,716,  or  in  American  money,  of  250,305.44  dollars. 

It  must  not  be  supposed,  however,  that  in  leaving  the  building- 
yard  of  Messrs.  Laird,  the  Alabama's  equipment  was  by  any 
means  complete.  The  strictest  injunctions  had  been  given  both 
to  Captain  Bullock  and  Captain  Semmes,  to  avoid  doing  anything 
that  would  by  any  possibility  be  construed  into  an  infringement 
of  either  the  municipal  law,  or  the  anxiously-guarded  neutrality 
of  England  ;  and  as  the  Foreign  Enlistment  Act  clearly  forbade 


CRUISE   OF  THE  ALABAMA  AND  THE  SUMTER.         99 

the  equipment  of  ships  of  war  for  belligerent  uses,  it  was  necessary 
that  the  new  cruiser  should  leave  England  unarmed,  and  take  her 
chance  of  capture,  until  some  safe  place  could  be  found  for  taking 
her  armament  on  board. 

This  was,  of  course,  a  delicate  operation,  and  one  requiring  the 
preservation  of  strict  secrcsy,  that  the  cruisers  of  the  United 
States  might  at  least  not  be  enabled  to  pounce  upon  their  new 
enemy,  until  she  had  been  placed  to  some  extent  in  a  con 
dition  for  self-defence.  Nor  was  this  the  only  ground  on  which 
caution  had  to  be  observed.  The  career  of  the  Sumter  had  given 
Captain  Semmes  a  clearer  idea  than  he  had  probably  before 
possessed  of  the  precise  meaning  of  the  word  neutrality,  as 
applied  to  the  present  war,  and  there  was  too  much  at  stake  to 
run  the  risk  of  detention  from  any  such  views  of  its  obligations 
as  had  been  put  forward  in  the  case  of  his  captive  officer  at 
Tangier.  The  law  of  the  case  might  be — he  certainly  thought  it 
was — clear  enough  ;  but  there  was  no  use  in  throwing  temptation 
in  the  way  of  those  by  whom  it  was  to  be  interpreted.  The 
recent  cases  of  the  Alexandria,  the  El  Tousson,  and  the  El 
Monassir,  have  shown  with  sufficient  clearness  that  this  calculation 
was  tolerably  correct. 

Accordingly,  the  reticence  which  has  so  distinctively  marked 
the  men  of  the  South  throughout  the  struggle,  was  most  reli 
giously  observed  in  the  case  of  the  Alabama.  It  was  impossible, 
of  course,  altogether  to  conceal  from  the  diligent  researches  of  Mr. 
Adams'  spies  the  fact  of  her  destination.  But  beyond  having  a 
strong  suspicion  that  the  vessel  so  rapidly  approaching  completion 
in  Messrs.  Laird's  yard  was  intended  for  the  Confederate  States, 
these  astute  gentlemen  were  altogether  at  fault.  This,  however, 
was  enough,  and  on  the  application  of  Mr.  Adams  an  order  was 
despatched  to  the  Customs'  authorities  at  Liverpool  to  seize  the 
ship,  and  prevent  her  from  going  to  sea. 

Fortunately  for  the  Confederate  vessel  her  friends  were  equally 
on  the  watch,  and  tidings  of  the  projected  seizure  were  promptly 
conveyed  to  Birkenhead.  It  was  necessary  now  to  act  with 
promptitude,  and  the  final  preparations  were  pushed  on  with  the 
utmost  speed.  At  length,  at  a  quarter  past  nine  on  the  morning 
of  the  29th  July,  1862,  the  anchor  was  got  up  for  the  first  time 
since  she  had  been  afloat,  and  the  **  No.  290"  dropped  slowly 
down  the  Mersey,  anchoring  that  afternoon  in  Moelfra  Bay. 

Even  this,  however,  could  not  be  carried  out  without  considera 
ble  precaution,  and  it  was  necessary,  as  a  blind  to  the  suspicious 
eyes  so  constantly  employed  in  watching  every  movement  of  the 
sorely  suspected  vessel,  to  announce  that  she  was  merely  proceed- 


100   CRUISE  OF  THE  ALABAMA  AND  THE  SUMTER. 

ing  for  a  short  trial  trip.  To  give  colour  to  this  pretence,  to 
which  her  even  then  unfinished  condition  lent  a  prim  A  facie  sanc 
tion,  a  gay  part}7  was  assembled  on  board.  A  number  of  ladies, 
friends  and  acquaintances  of  the  builders,  enlivened  the  narrow, 
and  as  yet  rough  and  unfinished  deck  with  their  bright  cos 
tumes,  and  seemed  to  afford  a  sufficient  guarantee  for  the  return 
of  the  vessel  to  port.  Luncheon  was  spread  in  the  cabin,  flags 
decorated  the  seats  hastily  improvised  on  the  sacred  quarter-deck, 
and  all  seemed  bent  upon  making  holiday. 

Suddenly,  however,  the  scene  changed.  At  a  signal  from  the 
Alabama  a  small  steam  tug  came  puffing  alongside,  and  to  the 
visitors'  great  astonishment  they  were  politely  requested  to  step 
on  board.  Relieved  of  her  gay  cargo,  the  transformation  of  the 
Alabama  proceeded  with  rapidity.  The  luncheon  had  been 
already  cleared  away,  and  now  seats  and  flags,  and  all  the  rest 
of  the  holiday  paraphernalia  began  speedily  to  disappear.  Late 
that  evening  and  all  the  next  day  the  bustle  of  preparation  con 
tinued,  and  at  two  o'clock  in  the  morning  of  the  31st  July  the  an 
chor  was  once  more  weighed,  and  with  a  strong  breeze  from 
the  S.  W.  the  "No.  290"  started  off,  ostensibly  on  a  voyage  to 
Nassau  in  the  Bahamas. 

Just  in  time.  That  morning  the  seizure  was  to  have  been 
made.  At  the  very  moment  that  "  No.  290"  was  heaving  up  her 
anchor,  a  huge  despatch  "On  Her  Majesty's  Service"  was  travel 
ling  down  to  Liverpool,  at  the  top  speed  of  the  north-western 
mail,  commanding  the  Customs'  authorities  to  lay  an  embargo 
on  the  ship.  The  morning  was  still  but  very  slightly  advanced 
when  through  the  driving  south-westerly  squalls  came  the  gold- 
laced  officials  in  search  of  their  prize,  only  to  return  in  outward 
appearance  considerably  crestfallen,  inwardly  perhaps  not  alto 
gether  so  deeply  grieved  as  a  good  neutral  should  have  been  at 
the  ill  success  of  their  uncomfortable  trip. 

Two  days  more  and  another  actor  appeared  upon  the  scene. 
Like  her  colleague  at  Tangier,  the  United  States  frigate  Tuscarora 
had  got  scent  of  a  valuable  prey,  and  hurried  round  to  the  Mersey 
at  full  speed  of  sail  and  steam  to  secure  it.  But  by  the  time  she 
arrived  at  Moelfra  Bay,  the  "No.  290"  was  already  a  couple  of 
days  upon  her  outward  voyage.  The  game  was  up,  and  the  only 
resource  of  the  baffled  Yankee  now  lay  in  scolding  poor  Earl 
Russell,  who  certainly  had  been  no  willing  agent  in  the  escape  of 
the  daring  little  Confederate  cruiser. 


CRUISE   OF  THE  ALABAMA  AND  THE  SUMTER.       101 


CHAPTER  XIII. 

"  No.  290"  at  sea — The  rendezvous — Small  mishaps — Good  qualities  of 
the  new  ship — Nearly  discovered — The  captain — Terceira — Anxiety 
about  the  crew —  Coaling  and  arming —  Getting  to  rights — Ready  for 
the  cruise. 

"No.  290"  ran  rapidly  before  the  S.W.  gale  up  the  Irish  Chan 
nel,  and  past  the  Isle  of  Man  and  Ailsa  Crag,  till  as  the  columns 
of  the  Giant's  Causeway  began  to  loom  dimly  through  the  driving 
rain  she  rounded  to,  laid  her  maintopsail  to  the  mast,  and  sent  a 
boat  on  shore  with  the  pilot  and  Captain  Bullock,  who  up  to  this 
time  had  been  in  command  of  the  vessel.  She  was  now  trans 
ferred  to  the  charge  of  Captain  J.  Butcher,  late  of  the  Cunard 
service,  her  other  temporary  officers  being — Chief  Lieutenant,  J. 
Law,  of  Savannah,  Georgia ;  second,  Mr.  G.  Townley  Fullam,  of 
Hull,  England  ;  Surgeon,  I).  H.  Llewellyn,  of  Easton,  Wilts ; 
Paymaster,  C.  R.  Yonge,  of  Savannah,  Georgia ;  and  Chief  En 
gineer,  J.  McNair,  an  Englishman.  The  crew,  the  greater  number 
of  whom  had  been  taken-  on  board  in  Moelfra  Bay,  numbered 
about  seventy  men  and  boys,  and  were  shipped  for  a  feigned 
voyage,  the  Confederate  captain  trusting  to  the  English  love  of 
adventure,  to  induce  them  to  re-ship  when  the  true  destination 
of  the  vessel  came  to  be  declared. 

Bidding  adieu  to  the  Irish  coast  she  now  shaped  her  course  for 
Terceira,  one  of  the  Western  Islands,  where  she  was  to  meet  her 
consort,  and  receive  on  board  the  guns  and  other  warlike  stores, 
she  had  been  restrained  by  respect  for  English  law,  from  shipping 
in  Liverpool.  Throughout  this  run,  which  occupied  nine  days, 
the  wind  still  continued  blowing 'a  strong  gale  from  the  southward 
and  westward,  with  a  heavy  sea  running,  through  which  "  No. 
290  "  dashed  along  sometimes  at  a  speed  of  upwards  of  thirteen 
knots  an  hour.  It  was  not,  however,  without  a  certain  amount 
of  risk  that  this  pace  was  maintained.  Amongst  other  less  serious 
damages  the  bow  port  was  stove  in  by  a  heavy  sea,  and  altogether 
the  vessel  showed  manifest  symptoms  of  the  speed  at  which  she 
had  been  driven.  But  accidents  of  this  kind  were  of  minor  im 
portance  compared  with  the  supreme  value  of  time.  Once  fairly 
off,  and  the  news  of  the  escape  must  spread  rapidly  through  the 
kingdom.  The  first  whisper  of  it  would  bring  the  enemy's  ships 
in  pursuit,  and  a  single  hour's  delay  in  reaching  her  destination 
and  placing  herself  in  a  condition  for  self-defence,  might  bring  one 


102       CRUISE  OF  THE  ALABAMA  AND  THE  SUMTER. 

of  them  alongside,  and  the  career  of  the  new  cruiser  be  cut  short 
before  it  had  fairly  begun.  So  "  No.  290  "  "  crashed  on  "  at  top 
speed,  and  on  the  10th  of  August  "Land,  ho!"  was  called  from 
the  foremast-head,  and  she  brought  up  at  Porto  Pray  a  in  Ter- 
ceira. 

During  this  trying  voyage  the  new  vessel  had  given  full  promise 
of  those  splendid  qualities  as  a  seaboat,  on  which  depended  so 
much  of  the  extraordinary  success  of  her  after  career.  She  was, 
of  course,  by  no  means  in  the  best  trim  for  sailing,  whilst  every 
thing  about  her  being  bran  new  was  in  the  worst  possible  condi 
tion,  short  of  being  quite  worn  out,  in  which  to  enter  on  so  severe 
a  trial.  She  came  through  it  however  most  triumphantly,  exhi 
biting  a  speed  and  ease  of  motion  rarely  to  be  found  in  combination. 
All  hands  arrived  at  Terceira  in  the  best  spirits,  and  highly  de 
lighted  with  their  new  ship. 

The  bay  of  Porto  Praya,  in  which  "No.  290"  was  anchored 
is  of  no  very  great  extent,  but  presents  excellent  holding  ground 
for  vessels,  and  is  sheltered  from  all  but  easterly  winds.  Three  or 
four  small  forts  occupy  positions  on  the  shore,  but  appear  never  to 
have  been  armed,  and  are  at  present  falling  rapidly  into  decay. 
The  bay  itself  is  secluded,  and  not  particularly  well  supplied  with 
the  means  of  sustenance,  fruit  and  vegetables  being  tolerably  plen 
tiful,  but  water  very  scarce,  and  beef  a  luxury  only  to  be  obtained 
by  importing  it  from  Angra,  on  the  other  side  of  the  island.  The 
officers  however  were  kindly  and  hospitably  received  by  the  in 
habitants,  and  the  best  the  place  afforded  placed  at  their  disposal. 

As  yet  the  expected  consort  of  the  Confederate  vessel  had  not 
arrived,  and  some  anxiety  was  felt  by  Captain  Butcher  and  his 
brother  officers,  as  day  after  day  passed  by,  and  no  signs  of  her 
appeared.  On  the  13th  August,  expectations  were  aroused  by  the 
cry  of  "  Sail,  ho !  "  but  the  new  comer  proved  to  be  only  a  Yan 
kee  whaling  schooner,  from  Provincetown  ;  and  additional  anxiety 
was  occasioned  on  her  arrival  by  the  indiscretion  of  one  of  the 
ship's  company,  by  whom  the  real  character  and  design  of"  No. 
290"  was  betrayed  to  the  United  States  schooner,  the  speedy  de 
parture  of  which,  after  learning  the  news,  SQcmed  ominous  of 
trouble. 

At  last,  on  the  18th,  a  large  barque  was  observed  steering  for 
the  brig,  and  on  a  nearer  approach  proved  to  be  the  long-looked- 
for  ship.  She  was  the  Agrippina,  of  London,  Captain  McQueen, 
with  a  cargo  of  ammunition,  coal,  stores- of  various  descriptions, 
and  six  thirty-two  pounders.  Once  lashed  alongside  the  sloop, 
and  all  haste  was  made  to  transfer  her  cargo,  and  the  crews  of  the 
two  vessels  were  busily  engaged  in  this  operation  when,  on  the 


CRUISE  OF  THE  ALABAMA  AND.  THE  SUMTER.       103 

20th  of  August,  the  smoke  of  another  steamer  was  seen  on  the 
horizon,  and  after  a  brief  interval  of  suspense,  lest  the  new  comer 
should  prove  to  be  a  United  States  vessel  of  war,  in  search  of  the 
escaped  Confederate,  the  Bahama,  Captain  Tessier,  made  her  num 
ber,  and  three  hearty  cheers  from  the  crew  of  "  No.  290  "  gave 
welcome  to  Captain  Semmes,  and  the  other  officers  late  of  the 
Sumter. 

Captain  Semmes  embarked  on  board  the  Bahama  at  Liverpool, 
on  the  morning  of  Wednesday,  13th  August,  joining  the  ship  in  a 
steam-tug,  the  Bahama  having  dropped  down  towards  the  mouth 
of  the  Mersey  a  few  hours  previously.  Captain  Bullock,  who,  as 
it  has  been  said,  had  seen  the  new  ship  safely  off  upon  her  voyage 
before  leaving  her  at  the  Giant's  Causeway,  and  had  reported  the 
happy  commencement  of  the  adventure,  accompanied  him  on  board 
the  Bahama,  in  which  were  also  a  number  of  seamen,  shipped, 
like  those  on  board  "  No.  290,"  for  a  feigned  voyage,  in  the  hope 
of  inducing  them  to  join  when  the  ship  was  fairly  in  commission. 

As  the  tug  left  us  to  return  to  the  city — writes  Captain  Semmes 
— the  crew  gave  us  three  hearty  cheers,  to  which  we  responded. 
After  a  passage  of  seven  days,  we  made  the  island  of  Terceira,  and 
soon  afterwards  the  port  of  Praya,  at  the  eastern  end  of  the  island, 
our  appointed  rendezvous.  As  we  approached  the  port  we  looked 
with  eager  eyes  for  "  No.  290,"  and  her  consort,  the  Agrippina, 
which  had  been  despatched  to  her  from  London  with  the  arma 
ment.  Greatly  to  our  satisfaction  we  soon  discovered  the  spars, 
and  then  the  hulls  of  both  vessels  lying  snugly  in  the  bay,  and 
apparently  in  contact,  and  indicating  the  transhipment  of  the  bat 
tery,  &c. 

At  about  11.30  A.M.  we  steamed  into  the  harbour,  and  were 
immediately  boarded  by  Captain  Butcher,  who  reported  that  he 
had  already  gotten  on  board  all  the  heavy  guns,  and  many  of  the 
paymaster's  stores,  &c.  As  the  harbour  is  open  to  the  east,  and  as 
the  wind  was  blowing  from  the  N.  E.,  driving  a  considerable  swell 
in,  which  caused  the  two  vessels  to  lie  very  uneasily  alongside  of 
each  other,  I  gave  orders  that  they  should  both  follow  me  to  the  bay 
of  Angra,  where  we  all  anchored  about  4  P.M.  Hauled  the  two 
steamers  alongside,  and  commenced  discharging  the  two  addi 
tional  guns. 

After  having  shown  the  new  vessel  to  the  seamen  I  had  on  board 
the  Bahama  (numbering  thirty-seven),  I  addressed  them,  telling 
them  that  they  were  released  from  the  contract  they  had  entered 
into  at  Liverpool,  and  were  now  perfectly  free  to  dispose  of  them 
selves,  and  that  I  invited  them  to  enter  with  me  on  board  my  ship. 


104      CBUISE  OF  THE  ALABAMA  AND  THE  SUMTER. 

I  spoke  of  the  war,  explained  to  them  the  object  of  my  contem 
plated  cruise,  and  the  inducements  held  out  to  them  of  prize-money, 
&c.  This  afternoon  about  one-half  the  number  shipped  ;  the  others 
hung  back,  perhaps,  for  better  terms.  There  are,  perhaps,  some 
sea-lawyers  among  them  influencing  their  determination.  I  moved 
my  baggage  on  board,  and  slept  my  first  night  on  board  my  new 
ship.  Warned  by  the  authorities  that  West  Angra  was  not  a  port 
of  entry,  and  that  we  must  move  to  East  Angra. 

Thursday,  August  2\st. — Clear  fine  weather.  I  am  charmed 
with  the  appearance  of  Terceira.  Every  square  foot  of  the  island 
seems  to  be  under  the  most  elaborate  cultivation ;  the  little  fields 
divided  by  hedgerows  of  what  appeared  to  be  sugar-cane.  The 
white  one-storied  houses  are  dotted  thickly  among  all  this  cultiva 
tion,  giving  evidence  of  great  populousness  in  this  primitive  para 
dise — so  far  removed  away  from  the  world,  and  so  little  resorted 
to  by  commerce.  Wind  inclined  to  haul  to  the  S.E.,  which  will 
open  us  to  the  sea  again,  and  I  am,  of  course,  quite  anxious.  Re- 
ceived  a  letter  (or  rather  Captain  Butcher,  who  is  still  the  nomi 
nal  commander  of  the  ship,  did)  from  the  English  Consul,  inform 
ing  us  that  the  authorities  still  insisted  upon  our  going  round  to 
East  Angra.  Replied  that  we  had  corne  in  to  receive  coal  from 
the  barque  in  our  company,  <fcc.,  and  that  as  the  day  seemed  fine, 
and  we  should  probably  have  a  good  lee  for  the  purpose,  I  would 
go  to  sea  without  the  marine  league  for  the  purpose.  I  knew  they 
suspected  me  of  arming  as  well  as  coaling,  and  hence  I  resorted 
to  this  step  to  quiet  their  apprehensions  of  my  infringing  their 
neutrality. 

Stood  along  the  island — the  Bahama  in  company  and  the  barque 
alongside — and  hoisted  out  the  gun-carriages,  and  mounted  as 
many  of  the  guns  as  we  could.  Returned  during  the  afternoon, 
and  after  nightfall  anchored  in  East  Angra,  with  the  barque  still 
alongside.  We  were  hailed  very  vociferously  as  we  passed  in  very 
bad  English  or  Portuguese,  we  could  not  make  out  which,  and  a 
shot  was  fired  at  us.  The  Bahama,  which  was  following,  hauled  off 
and  stood  off  and  on  during  the  night;  we  continued  our  course, 
and  anchored  about  8.30  P.M.  Near  midnight  I  was  aroused  from 
a  deep  sleep  into  which  I  had  fallen  after  the  fatigue  and  exer 
tions  of  the  day,  and  informed  by  the  officer  of  the  deck  very 
coolly  that  the  man-of-war  schooner  was  firing  into  us.  As  I 
knew  they  did  not  dare  to  fire  into. me  but  were  only  firing  at  mo, 
perhaps  to  alarm  me  into  going  out  of  the  harbour,  I  directed  the 
officer  to  take  no  notice  of  the  proceeding.  In  the  morning  we 
learned  that  this  had  been  a  false  alarm,  and  that  the  firing  had 
been  from  the  mail  steamer  to  bring  on  board  her  passengers. 


CRUISE   OF  THE  ALABAMA  AND  THE  SUMTER.       105 

Had  a  talk  with  the  old  boats wain's-mate,  who  consented  to  go 
with  me,  and  to  use  his  best  exertion  to  bring  over  to  me  all  the 
good  men  over  whom  he  could  exercise  influence. 

Friday,  August  22nd. — Wind  from  the  S.W.,  promising  us  a 
smooth  day  for  our  work.  Called  all  hands  at  6  A.M.,  and  com 
menced  coaling.  At  7  A.M.  a  number  of  Custom  House  officers 
and  the  English  Consul  came  on  board.  Our  coaling  was  sus 
pended  until  the  two  ships  could  be  entered  at  the  Custom  House. 
We  lost  a  couple  of  hours  by  this  visit,  but  I  was  gratified  to  learn 
as  the  result  of  it  that  we  might  remain  quietly  and  continue  our 
coaling,  &c. 

We  got  the  remaining  guns  into  position  ;  got  up  and  loaded 
some  of  the  rifles  ;  opened  a  barrel  of  cartridges,  and  made  sun 
dry  other  hasty  preparations  for  defense,  in  case  any  attempt 
should  be  made  to  seize  the  ship.  At  11.30  A.M.  signalled  the 
Bahama,  and  brought  her  in  to  her  anchors.  Towards  night  the 
weather  became  rainy,  and  considerable  sea  setting  in  to  the  har 
bour,  we  shoved  the  barque  off  to  an  anchor.  During  the  night 
she  dragged  her  anchor,  and  we  were  obliged  to  send  a  party  on 
board  her  to  let  go  another,  to  prevent  her  from  dragging  on  shore. 
There  was  quite  a  row  this  evening  on  board  the  barque,  ending  in 
a  general  fight,  the  sailors  by  some  means  or  other  having  managed 
to  get  drunk. 

Saturday,  August  *2%rd, — Morning  cloudy  and  rainy.  We 
were  unable  to  get  the  barque  alongside,  so  as  to  continue  coaling 
before  9  A.M.  Still  we  are  hurrying  the  operation,  and  hope  to  be 
able  to  get  through  by  night.  We  have  all  sorts  of  characters  on 
board,  but  the  crew  is  working  quite  willingly  ;  now  and  then  a 
drunken  or  lazy  vagabond  turning  up.  The  sharp  fellows  think 
ing  I  am  dependent  upon  them  for  a  crew  are  holding  back  and 
trying  to  drive  a  hard  bargain  with  me.- 

Getting  the  battery  to  rights,  and  caulking  the  screw-well, 
which  leaks  badly  when  she  is  under  way.  Made  some  acting  ap 
pointments  to  fill  up  my  officers.  Received  on  board  a  fine  sup- 
ply  of  fresh  provisions  and  vegetables  for  the  crew.  In  this 
beautiful  island  all  the  fruits  of  the  temperate  and  many  of  the 
torrid  zone  are  produced.  Pine-apples,  pears,  plums,  and  melons 
were  brought  off  to  us. 

We  finished  coaling,  except  seven  or  eight  tons,  by  working 
until  9  P.M.,  when  the  men  were  fairly  fagged  out.  Hauled  the 
barque  off,  and  resolved  to  go  out  with  what  coal  I  had  on  board, 
as  to  finish  entirely  would  involve  a  delay  of  Sunday. 

5* 


106       CRUISE   OF  THE  ALABAMA  AND  THE  SUMTER. 


CHAPTER    XIV. 

Sunday,  2ith  August — Fairly  afloat— Taking  command — The  white 
ensign— Mission  of  the  Alabama— The  Modern  Tar— At  the  pumps — 
Blowing  hard — A  fruitless  chase — Short-handed — 2ne  Ocmulgee. 

SUNDAY  seemed  destined  from  the  very  first  to  be  a  notable  day  in 
the  annals  o/  the  new  Confederate  cruiser. 

The  morning  of  Sunday,  the  24th  August,  found  her  afloat 
ready  for  sea ;  the  delicate  operation  of  transhipping  stores  in  an 
open  roadstead  safely  accomplished,  a  supply  of  coal  on  board 
sufficient  for  some  weeks  of  average  steaming,  and  six  of  her  guns 
mounted  and  ready  to  cast  loose  for  action  at  a  moment's  notice. 
The  early  hours  of  the  morning  were  occupied  in  washing  down 
the  decks  which  were  covered  thickly  with  coal,  and  making  mat 
ters  above  board  as  shipshape  as  under  the  circumstances  could  be 
managed.  By  noon  this  was  finished,  and  all  was  ready  for  sea. 
A  brief  space  was  then  devoted  to  the  no  less  necessary  operation 
of  dining,  and  at  noon  steam  was  got  up,  the  anchor  weighed,  and 
"  No.  290"  stood  out  to  sea,  the  Bahama  still  keeping  her  company. 

For  about  four  or  five  miles  the  two  vessels  kept  silently  upon 
their  course,  until  well  beyond  all  possibility  of  dispute  as  to  the 
too  well-remembered  maritime  league  of  neutrality.  Then  as  four 
bells  sounded  from  the  forecastle  the  crew  were  summoned  aft,  all 
heads  were  bared,  and  stepping  in  full  uniform  on  to  the  quarter 
deck,  Captain  Semmes  proceeded  in  a  voice  clear  and  firm,  but  not 
altogether  free  from  emotion,  to  read  aloud  to  the  assembled  ships 
his  commission  from  the  President  as  Commander^of  the  Confe 
derate  States  Steam  Sloop,  ALABAMA. 

As  he  proceeded,  the  English  flag  which  had  been  carried  by 
the  vessel  during  her  days  of  incognito,  was  slowly  lowered  to  the 
deck,  and  three  little  black  balls  might  be  seen  wriggling  their 
way  swiftly  but  cautiously  to  the  mastheads  and  mizen  peak  of  the 
Alabama.  Boom !  goes  the  starboard  forecastle  gun  as  the  read 
ing  is  ended.  The  three  black  balls  are  "broken  out,"  the  long 
pendant  uncurls  itself  at  the  main,  the  red  cross  of  St  George 
flutters  at  the  fore,  and  the  pure  white  ensign  of  the  Confederacy, 
with  its  starry  blue  cross  upon  the  red  ground  of  the  corner,  floats 
gracefully  from  the  peak,  as  the  little  band  breaks  into  the  dash 
ing  strains  of  "Dixie,"  and  three  ringing  cheers  peal  out  over  tho 
sparkling  sea. 

So  far  all  had  gone  well  and  hopefully,  and  the  enthusiasm  of 


CRUISE  OF  THE   ALABAMA  AND   THE   SUMTER.       107 

the  moment  had  brought  a  flush  to  the  cheek  and  a  dimness  to 
the  eye  of  many  a  weather-beaten  tar  among  the  little  crew.  But 
enthusiasm  is  fleeting  in  these  practical  days,  and  the  sound  of  the 
last  cheer  had  scarcely  died  away  upon  the  summer  breeze  ere  the 
scene  changed,  and  the  true  nineteenth  century  spirit  resumed  its 
sway.  The  ceremony  of  hoisting  the  flag  and  taking  command 
completed,  Captain  Semmes  called  all  hands  aft  upon  the  quarter 
deck,  and  addressed  them  as  he  had  previously  addressed  the  crew 
of  the  Bahama,  inviting  them  to  ship  with  him  in  the  Alabama 
for  the  cruise. 

The  address  is  described  by  those  who  listened  to  it  as  most 
spirited  and  effective.  It  frankly  avowed  that  the  principal  object 
of  the  Alabama  was  to  cripple  the  commerce  of  the  enemy.  But 
this  would  not  be  her  only  aim.  Prudence  was  essential,  and  he 
was  not  to  fight  a  fifty-gun  ship,  but  when  the  opportunity  offered 
of  engaging  on  anything  like  equal  terms,  the  Alabama  would  be 
prompt  enough  to  accept  the  combat.  "  Let  me  once  see  you," 
he  said,  in  conclusion,  "proficient  in  the  use  of  your  weapons,  and 
trust  me  for  very  soon  giving  you  an  opportunity  to  show  the 
world  of  what  metal  you  are  made." 

The  address  was  greeted  with  an  unanimous  burst  of  cheers, 
and  then  came  the  anxious  moment.  "  It  may  be  supposed," 
writes  Captain  Semmes,  in  recording  the  events  of  that  memora 
ble  day,  "  that  I  was  very  nervous  about  the  success  of  this  ope 
ration,  as  the  management  of  the  ship  at  sea  absolutely  depended 
upon  it."  And  of  this  fact  the  men  were  at  least  as  fully  aware 
as  himself.  Nor  had  they  any  scruples  as  to  availing  themselves 
most  fully  of  the  advantages  of  their  situation.  "  The  modern 
sailor,"  continues  Captain  Semmes,  "  has  greatly  changed  in 
character.  He  now  stickles  for  pay  like  a  sharper,  and  seems  to 
have  lost  his  recklessness  and  love  of  adventure."  However  this 
latter  proposition  may  be,  the  truth  of  the  former  was  most  amply 
proved  on  the  day  in  question.  Jack  niggled  and  haggled,  and 
insisted  pertinaciously  on  the  terms  he  felt  his  would-be  Captain's 
necessity  enabled  him  to  command;  and  in  the  end  Captain 
Semmes  was  fain  to  consent  to  the  exorbitant  rates  of  £4  105.  a 
month  for  seamen,  £5  and  £6  for  petty  officers,  and  £7  for  fire 
men !  "I  was  glad,"  he  writes,  "to  get  them  even  upon  these 
terms,  as  I  was  afraid  a  large  bounty  in  addition  would  be  de 
manded  of  me." 

Very  curious  was  the  contrast  afforded  by  this  scene  with  the 
enthusiasm  that  had  preceded,  and  the  gallant,  dashing,  reckless 
career  that  followed  it.  These  men  who  thus  stood  out  for  the 
last  sixpence  they  could  hope  to  wring  from  their  employer's  ne* 


108       CKUISE   OF  THE  ALABAMA  AND  THE  SUMTER. 

cessity,  were  the  same  who  subsequently  dashed  blindfold  into  the 
action  with  the  ITatteras,  and  later  yet,  steamed  quietly  out  of  a 
safe  harbour  with  a  disabled  ship,  to  meet  an  enemy  in  perfect 
trim  and  of  superior  force,  and  as  their  shattered  vessel  sank  be 
neath  their  feet,  crowded  round  the  very  captain  with  whom  the 
hard  bargain  had  been  driven,  imploring  him  not  to  yield. 

Finally,  the  bargaining  resulted  in  the  shipping  of  a  crew,  all 
told,  of  eighty  men ;  a  larger  number,  perhaps,  than  Captain 
Semmes  had  himself  anticipated,  but  still  not  so  many  by  at  least 
twenty-five  as  were  required  for  properly  manning  and  fighting 
the  vessel.  With  these,  however,  the  Captain  was  fain  to  be 
content,  trusting  to  volunteers  from  future  prizes  to  complete  his 
complement.  A  hard  evening's  work  followed  in  preparing 
allotments  of  pay  to  be  sent  home  to  the  sailors'  wives,  and  also 
in  paying  their  advance  wages,  and  sending  small  drafts  for  them 
to  agents  in  Liverpool.  It  was  not  till  11  P.M.  that  this  task  was 
completed,  and  then  Captains  Bullock  and  Butcher  took  a  final 
farewell  of  the  ship,  and  returned  on  board  the  Bahama,  which 
with  the  remainder  of  the  two  crews  steamed  away  for  Liverpool, 
and  the  Confederate  cruiser  was  left  alone  upon  the  wide  ocean, 
and  had  fairly  started  on  her  adventurous  career. 

No  sooner  had  the  two  steamers  parted  company  than  sail  was 
made  on  board  the  Alabama.  The  fires  were  let  down,  fore  and 
main  topsails  were  set,  the  ship's  head  turned  to  the  N.E.,  and  by 
midnight  Captain  Semmes  was  able  to  leave  the  deck,  and 
thoroughly  worn  out  with  the  day's  excitement  and  exertions, 
turn  in  to  an  uneasy  berth  in  search  of  a  few  hours'  repose. 

Of  this,  however,  there  was  not  much  to  be  obtained.  The 
Alabama  was  no  sooner  under  way  than  the  wind  began  to 
freshen,  and  soon  increased  to  a  moderate  gale.  This  was  accom 
panied  by  one  of  those  ugly  seaways  so  common  in  the  North 
Atlantic,  and  the  vessel  rolled  and  tumbled  in  a  manner  sufficiently 
trying,  without  the  addition  of  the  manifold  discomforts  insepara 
bly  attendant  on  a  first  start.  These,  too,  were,  as  may  well  be 
supposed,  not  a  little  aggravated  by  the  hurried  manner  in  which 
the  transhipment  of  stores  from  the  Agrippina  and  Bahama  had 
perforce  been  conducted.  Everything,  in  fact,  was  in  the  wildest 
confusion.  The  ship  herself  was  dirty  and  unsettled,  and  her  decks 
below  lumbered  in  all  directions  with  all  manner  of  incongruous 
articles.  No  one  was  berthed  or  messed,  nothing  arranged  or 
secured.  Spare  shot-boxes,  sea-chests,  and  heavy  articles  of  bag 
gage  or  cabin  furniture  were  fetching  away  to  the  destruction  of 
crockery  and  other  brittle  ware,  and  the  no  small  danger  of  limbo. 
While  to  crown  all,  the  upper  works  of  the  vessel  which  had  been 


CRUISE  OF  THE  ALABAMA  AND  THE  SUMTER. 

caulked  in  the  damp  atmosphere  of  an  English  winter,  had  open 
ed  out  under  the  hot  sun  of  the  Azores  through  every  seam,  arid 
the  eternal  clank,  clank  of  the  pumps,  which  it  was  fondly  hoped 
had  been  heard  for  the  last  time  when  the  poor,  worn-out  little  Smn- 
ter  had  been  laid  up,  played  throughoutvthe  long  night  a  dismal 
accompaniment  to  the  creaking  of  the  labouring  vessel,  and  the 
wild  howling  of  an  Atlantic  gale. 

So  passed  the  Alabama's  first  night  at  sea.  The  next  day  the 
gale  still  continued,  and  hindered  not  a  little  the  energetic  exer 
tions  of  the  First  Lieutenant,  who,  whilst  Captain  Semmes  endea 
voured,  by  snatching  a  few  hours'  sleep,  to  quiet  his  worn-out  nerves, 
took  his  turn  in  the  endeavour  to  bring  something  of  order  out  of 
the  apparently  hopeless  chaos,  and  gradually  reduce  the  vessel 
to  the  trim  and  orderly  condition  proper  to  a  well-commanded 
man-of-war.  On  the  Tuesday  the  gale  abated,  though  there  were 
still  the  remains  of  a  heavy  sea.  Topsails  and  gallantsails  were  set, 
and  the  propeller,  which  had  hitherto  been  merely  disconnected, 
and  left  to  revolve,  was  hoisted  up  out  of  the  water. 

Several  days  now  passed  in  setting  matters  to  rights,  passing 
spare  shot  below,  laying  the  racers  for  the  pivot  guns  ;  overhauling 
and  stowing  the  magazines ;  securing  furniture,  baggage,  and 
other  loose  articles  that  had  hitherto  pretty  well  "  taken  charge" 
of  the  deck  below  ;  and  otherwise  making  things  somewhat  snug 
and  shipshape,  and  preparing  the  vessel  for 'self-defence  in  case  of 
need. 

By  Friday,  August  29th,  these  preparations  were  nearly  com 
pleted,  and  in  the  early  morning  of  that  day  the  cry  of  "  Sail,  ho  !" 
was  heard  for  the  first  time  from  the  look-out  at  the  fore-top-gal- 
lant  cross-trees  of  the  Alabama.  The  ship  was  at  once  kept 
away  towards  her,  and  after  a  long  chase,  approached  at  near 
nightfall  to  within  five  or  six  miles  of  the  strange  sail.  The  vessel 
proved  to  be  a  brig,  and  on  nearing  her  Spanish  colours  were 
shown  by  the  Alabama.  The  brig  made  no  response,  and  the 
cruiser  proceeded  to  fire  a  blank  cartridge,  as  an  intimation  of  her 
character.  Still  the  stranger  kept  doggedly  upon  her  way,  with 
out  response,  and  it  became  a  question  whether  ulterior  measures 
should  be  taken.  After  careful  examination,  however,  of  all  those 
various  indications  by  which  a  sailor  can  judge  of  the  nationality 
of  a  vessel,  almost  as  effectively  as  from  a  sight  of  her  colours,  it 
was  decided  that  she  was,  at  all  events,  not  an  American  ;  and 
Captain  Semmes,  being- anxious  to  haul  by  the  wind,  and  make  his 
way  with  all  speed  to  the  westward,  the  chase  was  abandoned,  and 
the  Alabama  proceeded  again  upon  her  course. 

The  next  day,  Saturday,  August  30th,  saw  the  preparations  for 


110       CRUISE   OF  THE   ALABAMA  AND  THE  SUMTER. 

the  battery  complete,  and  the  pivot  guns  final! y  mounted,  and  ready 
for  action.  The  men  were  now  allotted  to  the  various  stations, 
and  mustered  at  quarters,  when  it  was  'found,  that  by  telling  off 
half  a  dozen  of  the  junior  officers  to  complete  the  crew  of  the  rifled 
gun,  there  were  just  hands  enough  to  fight  the  ship.  This  was 
satisfactory  ;  and  altogether  the  five  hard  days'  work  since  quitting 
Terceira  had  resulted  in  something  more  like  success  in  the  way 
of  order,  comfort,  and  efficiency,  than  it  had  at  first  sight  appeared 
possible  to  anticipate. 

Sunday,  August  31st,  was  a  welcome  day  of  rest  to  all  on  board  ; 
the  only  break  being  a  brief  run  off  after  a  brig  to  leeward,  which 
on  being  challenged  with  French  colours,  proved  to  be  a  Portu 
guese.  During  the  day  the  Alabama  made  good  running  to  the 
westward,  under  topsails,  with  a  fresh  breeze,well  on  her  starboard 
quarter  ;  and  at  midnight  made  all  snug,  and  brought  by  the  wind 
on  the  port  tack.  The  next  day  was  passed  for  the  most  part  in 
quietly  lying  to  under  topsails,  with  her  head  to  the  southward  and 
eastward,  whilst  the  crew  were  employed  in  finishing  the  fittings 
of  the  battery,  and  scraping  the  deck  and  bulwarks  clear  of  some 
of  the  accumulated  dirt,  till  3  P.M.,  when  she  filled  away  again, 
and  started  upon  a  N.W.  course. 

By  Tuesday,  Sept.  5th,  the  Alabama  had  run  into  the  thirty- 
eighth  parallel,  and  the  temperature  was  sensibly  altering.  Up  to 
this  period  no  prize  had  been  captured,  the  few  vessels  overhauled 
having  all  been  under  a  neutral  flag.  On  this  day,  however, 
whilst  in  chase  of  a  brig,  whose  extraordinary  swiftness  enabled 
her  fairly  to  show  the  Alabama  a  clean  pair  of  heels,  a  vessel  was 
descried  in  the  offing,  and  the  Confederate  bore  up  and  made  to 
wards  her.  On  approaching  she  was  found  to  be  lying-to,  with 
her  foretopsail  laid  to  the  mast,  and  on  a  somewhat  nearer  inspec 
tion,  proved  evidently  to  be  a  whaler. 

English  colours  were  hoisted  on  board  the  Alabama,  and  a  cheer 
was  with  difficulty  suppressed  as  the  Stars  and  Stripes  rose  in  an 
swer  to  the  stranger's  duck.  Arrived  within  boarding  distance,  a 
boat  was  at  once  sent  on  board  the  prize,  the  Alabama's  red  ensign 
giving  place  to  the  Confederate  flag  as  the  boarding  officer  gained 
her  deck.  She  proved  to  be  the  Ocmulgee,  of  Edgartown,  her 
captain,  by  name  Abraham  Osborn,  being  a  thorough  specimen  of 
the  genuine  Yankee.  She  was,  of  course,  taken  possession  of,  her 
crew  brought  on  board  the  Alabama  and  placed  in  irons,  and  a 
quantity  of  rigging,  of  which  the  latter  was  much  in  need,  together 
with  some  beef,  pork,  and  other  small  stores,  transferred  to  the 
captor.  A  light  was  then  hoisted  at  her  peak;  her  helm  lashed 
hard  a-lee ;  the  prize  crew  re-transferred  to  their  own  ship,  and 


CRUISE   OF  THE  ALABAMA  AND  THE  SUMTER.       Ill 

the  Ocmulgee  left  to  her  own  devices,  the  Alabama  lying  by  her 
during  the  night. 

The  next  morning  another  sail  hove  in  sight,  so  the  prize 
was  fired,  and  the  Alabama  again  started  off  in  chase,  having 
taken  from  the  prize  thirty-six  prisoners  besides  the  stores,  rig 
ging,  <fcc.,  before  alluded  to.  The  new  chase  proved  to  be  a 
Frenchman,  bound  to  Marseilles;  and  this  fact  having  been  as 
certained,  the  Alabama  was  kept  away  N.  £  W.,  and  in  two 
hours  afterwards  was  in  sight  of  the  island  of  Flores. 


CHAPTER  XV. 

A  muster — Prisoners  landed — The  Starlight — Santa  Cruz — Novel  night 
procession — The  Alert — Three  sacrifices  in  a  day —  Weather  Gauge 
captured — The  Altamaha — A  signal — The  Benjamin  Tucker — Burnt! 
— The  Courser — Target  practice — The  Virginia — The  Elisha  Dwibar. 

FROM  the  7th  to  the  18th  of  September  was  a  busy  time  on  board 
the  Alabama.  Prize  after  prize  was  taken,  and  Captain  Semmes' 
journal,  as  will  be  seen,  is  chiefly  taken  up  with  records  of  success 
ful  chases. 

Sunday,  September  1th. — Running  in  for  the  island  of  Flores. 
At  11  A.M.  mustered  the  crew  for  the  first  time,  and  caused  to  be 
read  the  Articles  of  War,  to  which  they  listened  with  great  atten 
tion.  At  3.30  P.M.,  having  approached  sufficiently  near  the  town 
of  Lagens,  on  the  south  side  of  the  island,  we  sent  all  the  prison 
ers  on  shore,  having  first  paroled  them  in  the  three  whale-boats 
belonging  to  the  prize,  Ocmulgee.  At  4  P.M.  filled  away  upon  the 
starboard  tack  to  head  off  a  schooner  that  appeared  to  be  running 
in  for  the  island.  Having  approached  her  within  a  mile,  we  hoist 
ed  the  English  colours.  The  chase  not  showing  her  colours  in 
return,  fired  the  lee  bow  gun.  Still  paying  no  attention  to  us,  but 
endeavouring  to  pass  us,  fired  a  shot  athwart  her  bows.  Not  yet 
heaving-to,  or  showing  colours,  fired  a  second  shot  between  her 
fore  and  mainmast ;  she  then  hoisted  the  United  States  colours 
and  rounded-to.  Sent  a  boat  on  board  and  took  possession.  The 
captain  coming  on  board  with  his  papers,  she  proved  to  be  the 
Starlight,  of  Boston,  from  Fayal  to  Boston  vid  Flores.  She  had 
a  number  of  passengers  ;  among  others,  some  ladies.  Put  a  prize 
crew  on  board  of  her.  Brought  on  board  all  the  United  States 


112       CRUISE   OF  THE  ALABAMA  AND  THE  SUMTER. 

seamen,  seven  in.  number,  including  the  captain,  and  confined  them 
in  irons,  and  ordered  the  prize  to  remain  close  to  us  during  the 
night.  Some  dark  clouds  hanging  over  the  island,  but  the  wind 
light  and  the  sea  smooth. 

Among  the  papers  captured  were  a  couple  of  despatches  to  the 
Sewards,  father  and  son,  informing  them  of  our  operations  at  Ter- 
ceira.  This  small  craft  left  Boston  only  six  days  before  we  left 
Liverpool  in  the  Bahama.  How  strangely  parties  meet  upon  the 
high  seas  !  The  master  was  the  cleverest  specimen  of  a  Yankee 
skipper  I  have  met,  about  twenty-seven  or  twenty-eight.  He 
avowed  his  intention  of  trying  to  run  the  gauntlet  of  my  shot,  de 
precated  the  war,  &c.,  &c. 

Monday,  September  8th. — *  *  *  *  Again  stood  in  to  the 
town  of  Santa  Cruz,  in  company  with  the  prize ;  lowered  the  cut 
ter,  and  sent  the  prisoners  on  shore,  with  a  note  addressed  to  the 
Governor.  In  the  meantime  the  Governor  himself  with  several 
citizens  came  on  board  us.  The  Governor  offered  us  the  hospitali 
ties  of  the  island,  and  in  return  I  expressed  to  him  the  hope  that 
his  fellow-citizens  who  were  passengers,  had  suffered  no  inconve 
nience  from  her  capture. 

In  the  afternoon,  gave  chase  and  showed  English  colours  to  a 
Portuguese  brigantine.  We  then  wore  ship,  and  chased  a  barque 
in  the  north-west,  with  which  we  came  up  about  sunset.  She 
proved  to  be  the  whaling  barque  Ocean  Rover,  from  Massachusetts, 
forty  months  out,  with  a  cargo  of  1100  barrels  of -oil.  Laid  her 
to  for  the  night,  and  permitted  the  captain  and  his  crew  to  pull  ia 
to  the  shore  (Flores)  in  his  six  whale  boats.  The  sea  being  smooth, 
the  wind  light  off  shore,  and  the  moon  near  her  full,  this  was  a 
novel  night  procession  ! 

Tuesday,  September  1th. — *  *  *  *  I  was  aroused  in  the 
mid-watch,  having  had  about  only  three  hours'  sleep,  after  a  day 
of  fatigue  and  excitement,  by  the  announcement  that  a  large  barque 
was  close  aboard  of  us.  We  were  lying  to  at  the  time  in  company 
with  our  two  prizes.  Wore  ship  very  quietly,  and  gave  chase. 
The  chase  rather  got  the  wind  of  us,  though  we  head-reached 
upon  her,  and  at  daylight  we  hoisted  the  English  flag.  The  barque 
not  responding,  fired  a  blank  cartridge.  She  still  not  responding, 
fired  a  shot  astern  of  her,  she  being  about  two  miles  distant.  This 
brought  her  to  with  the  United  States  colours  at  her  peak  ;  put  a 
boat  on  board,  and  took  possession  of  her.  She  proved  to  be  the 
Alert,  from  New  London,  sixteen  days  from  port  ;  bound,  vid  the 
Azores,  Cape  de  Verde,  &c.,  to  the  Indian  Ocean.  Supplied  our 
selves  from  her  with  some  underclothing  for  the  men,  of  which 
we  stood  in  need. 


CRUISE   OF  THE   ALABAMA   AND   THE   SUMTER.       113 

«• 

About  9  A.M.  fired  the  Starlight ;  at  11  fired  the  Ocean  Rover ; 
and  at  4  P.M.  fired  the  Alert.  Boarded  a  Portuguese  whaling 
brig,  the  master  of  which  I  brought  on  board  with  his  papers. 
These  proving  to  be  regular,  I  dismissed  him  within  a  few  mi 
nutes.  Sent  the  captain  and  crew  of  the  Alert  on  shore,  to  the 
village  on  the  north  end  of  Flores,  in  their  own  boats,  four  in 
number. 

Sail,  ho  !  at  5  P.M.  Filled  away,  and  gave  chase  to  a  schooner  in 
the  N.E.  She  was  standing  for  us  at  first,  but  tacked  on  our 
approach,  and  endeavoured  to  run.  We  had  shown  her  the  United 
States  colors,  and  she  also  had  hoisted  them,  but  she  distrusted 
us.  A  blank  cartridge  brought  her  round  again,  and  hove  her  to. 
Sent  a  boat  on  board,  and  took  possession  of  the  schooner  Weather 
Gauge,  of  Provincetown,  six  weeks  out.  The  last  two  captures 
supplied  us  with  larjje  numbers  of  Northern  newspapers  as* late  as 
August  18th.  *  *  * 

Saturday,  September  IStk. — Gave  chase  to  a  sail  reported  on 
the  weather  bow,  and  upon  coming  up  with  her,  and  heaving  her 
to  with  a  blank  cartridge,  she  proved  to  be  the  hermaphrodite 
•whaling  brig  Altamaha,  from  Xew  Bedford,  five  months  out.  Little 
or  no  success.  Captured  her,  put  a  prize  crew  on  board,  and  made 
sail  in  chase  of  a  barque  to  windward. 


Sunday,  September  14th. — *  *  *  Last  night  at  a  quarter 
past  eleven  I  was  aroused  by  the  report  that  a  large  ship  was  close 
on  board  of  us.  Hurried  on  deck,  wore  ship,  and  gave  chase ;  the 
strange  sail  being  about  two  to  two  and  a  half  miles  from  us,  par 
tially  to  windward.  Made  all  sail,  held  our  wind,  and  gradually 
eat  him  out  of  the  wind,  as  well  as  head-reached  on  him.  Fired 
a  blank  cartridge,  which  he  disregarded.  Continued  to  overhaul 
him,  and  when  we  had  gotten  on  his  weather-beam,  distant  about 
half  a  mile  from  him,  fired  a  second  gun,  which  speedily  brought 
him  to  the  wind  with  his  maintopsail  to  the  mast.  Sent  a  boat 
on  board,  with  an  order  to  the  officer  to  show  me  a  light  if  she 
should  prove  to  be  an  American  ;  and  in  a  few  minutes  after  the 
officer  got  on  board  a  light  was  shown  at  the  peak.  Lay  by  him 
until  daylight,  when  the  captain  was  brought  on  board.  The  ship 
proved  to  be  the  L^nited  States  whaler  Benjamin  Tucker,  from 
New  Bedford,  eight  months  out,  with  about  340  barrels  of  oil. 
Crew  thirty.  Brought  everybody  on  board,  "received  some  soap 
and  tobacco,  and  fire'l  the  ship.  Made  sail  to  the  S.E. 

Monday,  September  loth. —  *  *  *  Caulking  the  decks, 
which  are  already  quite  open.  Made  the  island  of  Flores  from  the 


114   CRUISE  OF  THE  ALABAMA  AND  THE  SUMTER. 

» 

mast-head  late  in  the  afternoon.     Exercised  the  crew  at  quarters. 
Shipped  one  of  the  prisoners  from  last  prize — a  Hollander. 

Tuesday,  September  IQth. — *  *  *  *  At  daylight  made  a 
schooner  on  the  starboard  bow.  Gave  chase,  and  at  7.30  hove  her 
to  with  a  blank  cartridge,  and  sent  a  boat  on  board,  she  showing 
United  States  colours.  She  proved  to  be  the  whaling  schooner 
Courser,  of  Provincetown,  Massachusetts.  Took  possession  of  her 
as  a  prize.  Stood  in  towards  Flores,  within  four  or  five  miles,  and 
sent  all  the  prisoners  from  the  last  three  prizes  on  shore  in  their 
own  whale  boats,  eight  in  number.  Number  of  prisoners  sixty- 
eight.  About  5  P.M.,  having  taken  the  prize  some  eight  or  ten 
miles  distant  from  the  land,  hove  her  to,  called  all  hands  to  quar 
ters,  and  made  a  target  of  her,  firing  three  rounds  from  each  gun. 
The  practice  was  pretty  fair  for  green  hands  for  the  first  time. 
We  hulled  the  target  once,  and  made  a  number  of  good  line  shots. 
At  dark  fired  the  prize,  and  made  sail  to  the  westward. 

Wednesday,  September  17 th. — *  *  *  At  7.30  A.M.  gave 
chase  to  a  sail  on  the  starboard  bow,  and  at  meridian  came  up 
with  and  took  possession  of,  the  United  States  whaling  barque  Vir 
ginia,  twenty-one  days  from  New  Bedford.  Received  papers  as 
late  as  the  28th  August.  Got  on  board  from  the  prize  a  large 
supply  of  soap,  candles,  &c. ;  and  after  bringing  the  prisoners  on 
board,  fired  her ;  filled  away,  and  made  sail  to  the  N.W. 

Thursday,  September  }8th. — *  *  *  Gave  chase  to  a  barque, 
which,  discovering  our  purpose,  made  all  sail  and  tried  to  escape. 
Came  up  with  her  at  2  P.M.,  after  a  chase  of  about  three  hours. 
Hoisted  the  English  ensign,  to  which  she  refused  to  respond. 
Fired  the  starboard  bow  gun,  and  ran  up  our  own  flag,  when  she 
shortened  sail  and  hove-to.  Sent  a  prize  crew  on  bourd,  she  show 
ing  the  United  States  ensign.  Brought  the  master  on  board. 
She  proved  to  be  the  whaling  barque  Elisha  Dunbar,  of  New  Bed 
ford,  twenty-four  days  out.  As  it  was  blowing  fresh  and  threaten 
ing  a  gale  of  wind,  we  got  all  the  prisoners  on  board  in  the  course 
of  about  a  couple  of  hours,  and  set  fire  to  the  barque.  Reefed  top 
sails,  set  the  fore  trysail  with  the  bonnet  off,  and  stood  on  a  wind 
on  the  starboard  tack  to  the  S.  and  E. 


CRUISE   OF  THE   ALABAMA  AND  THE  SUMTER.       115 


CHAPTER  XVI. 

Successive  gales —  Uncomfortable  quarters —  Weather  moderates — Blowing 
again — The  Emily  Farnum  and  the  Brilliant — Neutral  cargo — Ran 
somed — Inflames — The  Wave  Crest — The  Dunkirk — Religious  smug 
gling — A  deserter  caught — A  court  martial — The  Tonawanda — 
Precautions — ±he  Manchester  burnt — Hope — Parting  company — The 
Lamplighter — A  hurricane — Great  danger — A  cyclone — Safely  passed. 

AFTER  this  burst  of  good  fortune  in  the  way  of  prizes,  during 
which  the  Alabama  had  destroyed  upwards  of  230,000  dollars' 
worth  of  United  States  property — or  an  amount  very  nearly  equal 
to  her  own  entire  cost — in  eleven  days,  a  lull  was  experienced.  A 
succession  of  gales  from  various  points  of  the  compass  now  pre 
vailed  with  more  or  less  violence  for  seven  or  eight  days,  during 
a  great  portion  of  which  the  Alabama  was  lying  to,  in  a  heavy 
sea  under  close-reefed  maintopsail  and  reefed  trysails. 

These  were  hard  times  for  the  prisoners ;  huddled  together  on 
deck,  with  no  shelter  but  an  extemporized  tarpaulin  tent  between 
them  and  the  pelting  of  the  pitiless  storm,  which  drenched  the 
decks  alternately  with  salt  water  and  fresh,  as  the  heavy  rain- 
squalls  came  down,  or  the  sea,  glittering  with  phosphoric  light, 
came  dashing  over  the  weather  bulwarks.  There  was,  however, 
no  alternative.  The  berth-deck  was  already  fully  occupied  by  the 
Alabama's  own  crew,  and  the  unlucky  prisoners  were  compelled 
to  make  the  best  of  their  uncomfortable  position,  and  console 
themselves  with  the  hope  that  some  vessel  with  a  neutral  cargo 
might  fall  on  the  same  ill-fortune  with  themselves,  and  afford  them 
a  chance  of  being  paroled  and  sent  ashore. 

As  the  sun  crossed  the  line  the  weather  moderated,  and  by  the 
25th  of  September  all  was  again  calm  and  fair,  and  the  crew  busy 
caulking  the  decks,  which  had  leaked  terribly  during  the  gales. 
They  were  followed  by  a  succession  of  calms  and  light  baffling 
winds,  the  delay  occasioned  by  which  was  turned  to  advantage  in 
practising  the  crew  at  the  battery,  and  with  small  arms. 

With  the  commencement  of  another  month  the  rough  weather 
returned.  The  2nd  October  was  a  real  ugly-looking  day,  with 
dense  black  clouds  and  a  Newfoundland  north-easter  blowing 
freshly.  No  observation  was  to  be  had,  the  thick  clouds  altogether 
shutting  out  the  sun,  and  the  ship  being  in  the  current  of  the 
Gulf  Stream,  the  most  she  could  do  was  to  guess  at  her  position 
within  some  thirty  or  forty  miles. 


116       CRUISE  OF  THE  ALABAMA  AND  THE  SUMTEK. 

On  the  3rd  the  weather  moderated,  and  fortune  again  smiled 
upon  the  Alabama.  The  morning  watch  was  not  yet  over  when 
two  sails  were  descried,  the  one  ahead,  the  other  on  the  lee  bow, 
each  of  which  in  its  turn  was  overhauled  and  captured  ;  the  one 
proving  to  be  the  Emily  Farnum,  from  New  York  for  Liverpool ; 
the  other,  the  Brilliant,  from  the  same  port  for  London,  with  a 
valuable  cargo  of  grain  and  flour. 

The  cargo  of  the  Emily  Farnnm  being  neutral  property,  the 
vessel  was  released  as  a  cartel,  the  prisoners  from  the  Brilliant 
being  transferred  to  her,  as  also  those  already  on  board  from  the 
other  prizes,  a  change,  as  may  well  be  imagined,  sufficiently 
acceptable  to  those  unfortunate  beings  who  had  now  been  ex 
posed  for  nearly  three  weeks  to  all  the  vicissitudes  of  an  autumn 
in  the  North  Atlantic.  This  done,  the  Emily  Farnum  was  per 
mitted  to  proceed  upon  her  way.  The  Brilliant  was  then  stripped 
of  everything  that  could  be  of  use  to  her  captors,  set  on  fire,  and 
left  to  her  fate.*  From  the  papers  taken  on  board  of  this  vessel 
the  crew  of  the  Alabama  learned  the  good  news  of  the  Confederate 
victories  in  Virginia,  and  also  of  the  successful  run  of  the  screw- 
steamer  Florida  into  a  Confederate  port.  The  two  vessels  also 
brought  to  the  Alabama  a  prize,  in  the  persons  of  four  new 
recruits,  which,  in 'the  short-handed  condition  of  the  ship,  was  of 
more  real  value  to  her  than  the  vessels  themselves. 

The  barque  Wave  Crest,  of  and  from  New  York,  for  Cardiff, 
with  a  cargo  of  grain,  was  the  Alabama's  next  victim.  She  was 
chased  and  captured  on  the  7th  of  October,  and  having  no  evidence 
of  the  neutral  ownership  of  her  cargo,  was  condemned  and  set  on 
fire,  after  serving  for  some  time  as  a  target,  at  which  her  captors 
might  practise  their  firing.  She  was  still  blazing  merrily,  when 
another  vessel  was  descried  from  the  masthead,  and  at  9. 30  P.M.  of  a 
beautiful  moonlight  night,  a  blank  shot  from  the  Alabama  brought 
up  the  smart  little  brigautine  Dunkirk,  from  New  York,  for  Lisbon, 
also  loaded  with  grain.  A  boat  was  sent  on  board  of  her,  and  her 
papers  handed  over  to  one  of  the  Alabama's  officers.  No  evidence 
of  neutrality,  however,  was  to  be  found,  and  before  midnight  she 
too  was  a  blazing  wreck,  and  her  captain  and  crew  prisoners  on 
board  the  Confederate  steamer. 

The  Dunkirk  proved  noteworthy  in  two  ways.     On  searching 

*  One  of  the  Alabama's  officers  writes  in  his  private  journal : — 
"It  seemed  a  fearful  thing  to  burn  such  a  cargo  as  the  Brilliant  had,  when 
I  thought  how  the  Lancashire  operatives  would  have  danced  for  joy  had  they 
it  shared  amongst  them.  I  neversaw  a  vessel  burn  with  such  brilliancy,  the 
flames  completely  enveloping  the  masts,  hull,  and  rigging  in  a  few  minutes, 
making  a  sight  as  grand  us  it  was  appalling.'1 


CRUISE   OF  THE  ALABAMA  AND   THE  SUMTER.       117 

through  her  papers,  it  appeared  that  besides  her  ostensible  cargo  she 
was  also  employed  in  what  may  be  termed  a  kind  of  religious  smug 
gling.  Some  Portuguese  copies  of  the  New  Testament  were  discover 
ed,  together  with  a  number  of  tracts  in  the  same  language,  tied  up  in 
large  bundles,  on  the  back  of  one  of  which  was  the  endorsement : — 
"  Portuguese  Tracts ;  from  the  'American  Tract  Society,' for  dis 
tribution  among  Portuguese  passengers,  and  to  give  upon  the 
coast  to  visitors  from  the  shore,  &c.  When  in  port,  please  keep 
conspicuously  on  the  cabin  table  for  all  comers  to  read ;  but  be 
very  careful  not  to  take  any  ashore,  as  the  laws  do  not  allow  it." 

It  appeared,  however,  that  the  conscience  of  the  society  had 
pricked  them  for  this  concession  to  the  majesty  of  the  law,  and  a 
pen  had  been  carefully  run  through  the  last  sentence.  A  little 
lower  down,  upon  the  same  packet,  was  written,  "  As  may  be  con 
venient,  please  report  (by  letter,  if  necessary)  anything  of  interest 
which  may  occur  in  connexion  with  the  distribution  ;  also  take 
any  orders  for  Bibles,  and  forward  them  to  John  S.  Peerin,  Marine 
Agent,  New  York  Bible  Society,  No.  7  Beekmao  Street." 

The  other  noteworthy  fact  in  connexion  with  the  Dunkirk  was 
the  capture  on  board  of  her  of  one  of  the  seven  sailors  who  had 
deserted  from  the  Sumter  whilst  lying  at  Cadiz  ten  months  before. 
This  man,  whose  name  was  George  Forrest,  Was  at  once  recog 
nised,  and  on  the  day  but  one  after  his  capture  on  board  the 
enemy's  vessel,  a  court-martial,  consisting  of  the  first  lieutenant 
(president) ;  senior  second  lieutenant ;  master,  chief  engineer,  and 
lieutenant  of  marines,  with  the  captain's  clerk  as  judge-advocate, 
was  assembled  in  the  ward-room  to  try  the  prisoner  f  >r  the  crime 
of  desertion.  The  evidence  was,  of  course,  simple  enough,  and  the 
man  was  found  guilty,  and  sentenced  to  lose  all  pay,  prize  money, 
etc.,  already  due  to  him,  and  to  fulfil  his  original  term  of  service, 
forfeiting  all  pay  and  allowances,  except  such  as  should  be  sufficient 
to  provide  necessary  clothing  and  liberty  money. 

That  same  afternoon  another  sail  was  descried  and  chased,  and 
just  before  sunset  the  Alabama  came  up  with  and  brought  to,  the 
fine  packet  ship  Tonawanda,  of  Philadelphia,  belonging  to  Cope's 
Liverpool  line,  and  bound  from  Philadelphia  to  Liverpool  with  a 
full  cargo  of  grain,  and  some  seventy-five  passengers.  Here  was  a 
serious  matter  of  embarrassment;  of  the  seventy-five  passengers, 
some  thirty  or  more  were  women,  and  what  to  do  with  such  a 
prize  it  was  hard  to  know.  It  was,  of  course,  impossible  to  take 
the  prisoners  on  board  ;  yet  Captain  Semmes  was,  not  unnaturally, 
reluctant  to  release  so  fine  a  vessel  if  he  could  by  any  possibility  so 
arrange  matters  as  to  be  able  to  destroy  her.  It  was  therefore 
determined  to  place  a  prize  crew  on  board,  and  keep  the  ship  in 


118       CRUISE   OF  THE  ALABAMA  AND  THE   SUMTER. 

company  for  a  time,  in  hopes  that  ere  long  some  other  vessel  of 
less  value  to  the  enemy,  or  guarded  from  destruction  by  a  neutral 
cargo  might,  by  good  luck,  be  captured,  and  thus  afford  an  oppor 
tunity  of  sending  the  prisoners  away  upon  cartel. 

Accordingly,  a  bond  was  taken  of  the  captain  for  eighty  thou 
sand  dollars,  as  a  measure  of  precaution,  in  case  it  should  be  found 
necessary  to  let  the  ship  go  without  further  parley,  and  a  prize 
master  having  been  put  on  board  the  Tonawanda,  was  ordered  to 
keep  company,  and  her  captor  started  off  on  a  chase  after  a  brig, 
which  on  being  overhauled  proved  to  be  English.  One  transfer, 
however,  was  made  from  the  prize,  being  nothing  less  than  a  well- 
grown  and  intelligent  negro  lad,  named  David  White,  the  slave 
of  one  of  the  passengers,  who  was  transferred  to  the  Alabama 
as  waiter  to  the  wardroom  mess,  where  he  remained  until 
the  closing  scene  off  Cherbourg,  by  no  means  disposed,  so  far 
as  his  own  word  may  be  taken  for  it,  to  regret  the  change  of 
masters. 

The  following  day,  as  an  additional  security,  the  master  of  the 
Tonawanda  was  brought  as  a  hostage  on  board  the  Confederate 
steamer,  the  prisoners  from  the  last  two  ships  burned  being  at  the 
same  time  transferred  to  the  prize.  In  this  manner  the  two  ves 
sels  cruised  in  company  for  two  or  three  days — an  anxious  time 
enough  for  the  crew  and  passengers  of  the  unlucky  Tonawanda, 
who  spent  most  of  their  time  in  eagerly  scanning  the  horizon,  in 
the  hope  that  some  armed  vessel  of  their  own  nation  might  appear 
in  sight,  and  rescue  them  from  their  unpleasant  predicament.  No 
such  luck,  however,  was  to  be  theirs ;  but  on  the  llth  October,  a 
fresh  addition  was  made  to  their  numbers  in  the  crew  of  the  Man 
chester,  a  fine  United  States  ship  from  New  York  to  Liverpool,  the 
glare  of  which  as  she,  like  so  many  others,  was  committed  to  the 
flames,  by  no  means  alleviated  their  anxiety,  as  they  thought  how 
soon  a  similar  fate  might  befal  their  own  vessel,  should  fortune  not 
interpose  to  arrest  the  disaster. 

At  length,  on  the  13th  October,  excitement  prevailed  on  board 
of  both  vessels,  and  the  hopes  of  the  anxious  passengers  on  board 
the  Tonawanda  rose  to  fever  pitch,  as  a  large  vessel  was  seen  bear 
ing  down  under  topsails  only,  her  easy-going  style  of  sailing  seem 
ing  to  prove  conclusively  to  a  sailor's  eye,  that  she  must  be  either 
a  whaler  or  a  man-of-war.  On  board  the  Alabama  the  former  was 
the  favorite  supposition,  and  hopes  ran  high  of  another  glorious 
bonfire  fed  by  tons  of  brightly  burning  sperm  oil.  The  aspirations 
of  the  Tonawanda  were  naturally  in  favor  of  the  man-of-war,  and 
it  was  with  difficulty  that  considerations  of  prudence  restrained  the 
open  exhibition  of  their  delight  as  the  stranger  drew  near,  and  the 


CRUISE  OF  THE  ALABAMA  AND  THE   SUMTER.       119 

Jong  pendant  floating  proudly  from  her  masthead  seemed  to  assure 
them  that  their  hopes  were  to  be  fulfilled. 

But  disappointment  was  equally  in  store  for  all.  The  big  easy 
going  ship  proved  to  be  nothing  more  or  less  than  an  ordinary 
Spanish  merchantman,  who,  with  more  regard  for  personal  appear 
ance  than  maritime  etiquette,  had  quietly  appropriated  to  herself 
the  distinguishing  ornament  of  a  man-of-war.  So  the  guns  of  the 
Alabama,  which  had  been  cast  loose  and  loaded,  were  again 
secured,  and  the  crew  dismissed  from  quarters;  while  the  discon 
solate  Tonawandas,  balked  of  their  fondly  anticipated  rescue,  shook 
their  fists  at  the  deceptive  Spaniard,  and  went  below  to  digest  as 
best  they  might  their  grievous  disappointment. 

At  last,  however,  this  time  of  suspense  was  over,  and  kind  for 
tune  came  to  their  assistance  in  the  shape  of  a  threatening  gale 
of  so  ugly  an  appearance  that  the  captain  determined  not  to  run 
the  risk  of  parting  company,  and  thus  altogether  losing  his  awk 
ward,  but  not  the  less  valuable  prize.  Accordingly,  having 
accepted  from  the  master  a  ransom  bond  for  eighty  thousand  dol- 
laes,  he  dismissed  him  to  his  ship,  and  amid  the  wildest  demon 
strations  of  delight  from  the  closely -packed  prisoners  on  board, 
the  Tonawanda  filled  away,  and  was  seen  no  more. 

The  wind  now  freshened  to  a  tolerably  fresh  gale.  Not  suffi 
cient,  however,  for  the  next  two  days  to  prevent  the  Alabama 
from  chasing  and  capturing,  on  the  15th  October,  the  United 
States  barque  Lamplighter,  of  Boston,  from  New  York  to  Gibral 
tar,  with  a  cargo  of  tobacco,  which,  however,  as  it  proved,  was 
never  destined  to  soothe  the  ennui  of  the  British  soldier  at  that 
not  very  lively  station.  The  sea  was  running  high,  and  the  boats 
had  a  rough  time  of  it  in  boarding  the  barque,  and  returning  with 
prisoners,  (fee.  However,  it  was  managed  at  last ;  the  unlucky 
vessel  was  fired,  and  after  burning  fiercely  for  some  time,  went 
headforemost  to  the  bottom,  leaving  behind  her  a  savoury  cloud 
that  almost  tempted  her  destroyers  to  regret  their  work. 

And  now  it  proved  indeed  fortunate  for  the  prisoners  who  had 
so  lately  been  discharged,  that  they  were  not  doomed  to  weather 
out  on  the  Alabama's  deck  the  gale  that  came  upon  her.  The 
17th  of  October  saw  the  culminating  of  the  bad  weather  that  had 
prevailed  during  the  last  four  or  five  days,  and  for  some  hours  the 
Alabama  was  exposed  to  a  perfect  hurricane.  The  storm  did  not 
last  long,  but  for  about  four  hours  it  blew  furiously.  It  was  not 
yet  at  its  height,  and  the  ship  was  still  carrying  her  close  reefed 
maintopsail  with  reefed  main  trysail  and  fore  topmast  staysail, 
when  a  sharper  lurch  than  usual  threw  a  sudden  strain  upon  the 
bumpkin  to  which  the  weather  main  brace  was  led,  and  in  a  mo 


120       CRUISE   OF  THE   ALABAMA  AND  THE   SUMTER. 

ment  it  had  snapped  in  two.  The  mainyard  no  longer  supported 
by  the  brace,  and  pressed  by  the  whole  power  of  the  straining 
topsail,  flew  forward  and  upward  till  it  was  bent  nearly  double, 
when  with  a  loud  crash  it  parted  in  the  slings,  splintering  the  top 
sail  into  ribands  with  a  noise  like  thunder. 

The  ship  was  now  in  the  greatest  peril,  for  there  was  no  longer 
sufficient  after  canvas  to  keep  her  head  to  the  wind  against  the 
powerful  pressure  of  the  foretoprnast  staysail,  and  in  another  mo 
ment  she  must  have  fallen  into  the  trough  of  the  sea,  and  proba 
bly  been  at  the  least  dismasted,  if  not  altogether  swamped.  But 
the  quick  eye  of  the  captain  of  the  foretop  saw  the  danger,  and 
springing  to  the  staysail  halyards  he  cut  the  sail  away,  and  the 
ship  relieved  of  pressure  forward,  again  came  up  to  the  wind. 

The  main  trysail  was  now  lowered,  though  not  without  splitting 
the  sail,  and  a  small  three-cornered  storm  trysail  hoisted  in  its 
place.  Even  under  this  minimum  of  canvas  the  tremendous 
pressure  of  the  gale  upon  her  spars  forced  her  down  in  the  water 
several  streaks,  and  the  idlers  and  boys  were  lashed  for  safety 
under  the  weather  bulwarks,  life-lines  being  stretched  before  them 
to  pervent  them  from  falling  to  leeward. 

So  far  as  it  was  possible  under  the  circumstances  to  estimate 
the  probable  extent  of  this  cyclone,  its  greatest  diameter  would 
appear  to  have  been  from  about  one  hundred  and  sixty  to  two 
hundred  miles,  whilst  the  diameter,  of  the  vortex,  through  a  con 
siderable  portion  of  which,  if  not  actually  through  the  centre,  the 
Alabama  appears  to  have  passed,  would  probably  be  from  about 
thirty  to  five-and-thirty  or  perhaps  forty  miles. 

The  Alabama  took  the  gale  at  S.W.,  the  wind  hauling  after 
wards  to  S.,  and  the  vessel  passing  completely  through  the  vortex. 
During  that  time  it  lulled  for  about  half  or  three-quarters  of  an 
hour,  then  hauled  in  a  few  minutes  to  about  N.N.W.,  which  was 
the  severest  portion  of  the  gale,  commencing  with  the  squall  by 
which  the  mainyard  was  carried  away.  The  barometer  sank  as 
low  as  28-64.  At  2  P.M.  it  had  risen  to  29'70,  but  fell  again  a 
little,  and  then  rose  gradually.  The  rise  and  fall  of  the  barome 
ter  were  both  very  rapid. 

During  the  violence  of  the  gale,  the  birds  flew  very  low,  and 
with  great  rapidity,  and  some  rain  fell,  though  not  a  great  deal. 
The  surface  of  the  sea  was  one  sheet  of  foam  and  spray,  the  latter 
completely  blinding  all  on  deck.  A  curious  result  of  the  gale  was 
a  huge  knot  into  which  a  strip  of  the  maintopsail,  the  clew  line, 
and  chain  sheet  had  twisted  themselves  in  a  hundred  invo 
lutions,  defying  any  attempt  at  extrication  except  by  aid  of  the 
knife. 


CRUISE  OF  THE  ALABAMA  AND  THE  SUMTEB.       121 

During  this  tremendous  storm  the  Alabama  behaved  splendidly, 
proving  herself  as  fine  a  sea-boat  as  ever  swam. 

By  the  evening  the  storm  had  lulled,  but  the  sea  was  still  run 
ning  fearfully  high,  and  it  was  not  until  the  next  day  that  it  was 
possible  to  set  about  repairing  the -damage  suffered  in  this  by  far 
the  severest  trial  through  which  the  Alabama  had  as  yet  passed. 


CHAPTER  XVII. 

Out  of  luck — Tempest-tossed — Rotatory  storms —  A  prize — The  case  of 
the  Lafayette—A  long  chase — The  Crenshaw — Neutral  or  not? — 
Rough  again — The  Lauretta — Condemned! — The  Baron  de  Custine 
— Released  on  bond. 

THE  Alabama  was  again  out  of  luck.  For  the  second  time  since 
her  departure  from  Terceira,  nearly  a  fortnight  passed  without 
bringing  a  single  prize.  It  was,  indeed,  hardly  to  be  expected  that 
the  splendid  success  which  had  attended  the  first  three  weeks  of  her 
cruise  could  be  maintained.  From  the  1st  to  the  18th  of  Septem 
ber,  she  had  captured  and  destroyed  no  less  than  ten  vessels,  of  an 
aggregate  value  of  nearly  two  hundred  and  fifty  thousand  dollars. 
Then  had  followed  an  interval  of  a  fortnight,  during  which  one 
vessel  only  was  overhauled,  and  proving  to  be  French,  permitted 
to  proceed.  This  dull  period  over,  the  3rd  October  had  seen 
the  commencement  of  another  run  of  good  fortune,  extending 
over  nearly  a  fortnight,  during  which  she  succeeded  in  capturing 
five  more  vessels,  all  of  considerable  size,  and  for  the  most  part, 
with  valuable  cargoes.  In  this  fortnight  alone  damage  was  in 
flicted  upon  United  States  property  to  the  amount  of  more  than 
half-a-million  of  dollars;  and  it  was  but  natural  that,  after  so 
splendid  a  gift,  fortune  should  for  a  time  hold  her  hand. 

Accordingly,  for  the  next  ten  or  twelve  days  the  Alabama  lay 
helplessly  on  the  ocean,  tossed  and  beaten  about  by  a  succession 
of  gales  from  every  point  of  the  compass,  culminating,  as  we 
have  seen,  in  the  hurricane  of  the  16th  October.  The  season 
was,  indeed,  most  unusually  severe,  this  month  of  October  being 
commonly  one  of  calm  and  fine  weather.  A  gale  at  this  time  is  a 
most  unusual  occurrence ;  but  for  more  than  a  week  a  succes 
sion  of  storms  was  experienced  of  the  most  violent  description, 
while  for  fully  three  weeks  the  weather  continued  dark,  rough, 
and  gloomy,  with  strong  shifting  winds  and  heavy  rain,  the  thick 
clouds  rarely  separating  sufficiently  to  afford  the  chance  of  an  ob 
servation. 

6 


122       CRUISE   OF  THE  ALABAMA  AND  THE   SUMTER. 

Occasionally  a  break  in  the  murky  canopy  would  give  promise 
of  a  change  for  the  better;  but  a  very  few  hours  served  to  dissi 
pate  the  rising  hope.  The  sky  would  be  again  overcast,  the  wind 
breeze  up  from  a  fresh  quarter,  and  another  night  of  discomfort 
set  in.  In  addition  to  this  adverse  weather,  a  still  further  diffi 
culty  was  experienced  in  the  strong  current  that  appeared  to  set 
continuously  from  the  westward,  drifting  the  vessel  bodily  out  of 
her  course  at  the  rate  of  sixty  or  seventy  miles  a  day.  During 
this  period,  the  barometer  ranged  from  28'64  to  29**70.  It  was 
remarkable  that  the  winds  appeared  to  succeed  each  other  with 
perfect  regularity,  rotating,  as  nearly  as  possible,  once  in  every 
two  days,  or  at  the  utmost,  in  two  days  and  a  half.  The  course 
taken  by  these  rotatory  storms  was  always  the  same,  and  it  was  a 
rare  occurrence  for  the  wind  to  remain  stationary  in  one  quarter 
during  eight  or  ten  successive  hours. 

On  the  23rd  October  the  gale  at  last  finally  broke,  and  with  the 
return  of  better  weather  the  Alabama's  luck  seemed  also  about  to 
revive.  At  noon  a  brief  break  in  the  clouds  just  gave  time  for 
an  observation  for  latitude,  and  this  was  barely  worked  out,  when 
"Sail,  ho!"  was  heard  from  the  masthead;  and  a  fine  brig  was 
discovered  hull  down  on  the  lee  bow.  Running  down  to  her 
under  close-reefed  topsails,  she  proved  to  be  English  ;  but  though 
not  destined  herself  to  become  a  prize,  the  deviation  in  the  Ala 
bama's  course,  occasioned  by  the  chase,  proved  most  fortunate  for 
her.  She  had  scarcely  luffed  up  again,  after  ascertaining  the 
brig's  nationality,  when  again  the  welcome  cry  was  heard,  and  the 
helm  shifted  in  pursuit.  Soon  the  new  chase  became  clearly  dis 
cernible  from  the  quarter-deck,  when  she  proved  to  be  a  large  ship 
running  to  the  northward  and  eastward  under  a  press  of  canvas. 
So  determinedly  was  she  "  cracking  on  "  as  to  have  everything  set, 
even  to  her  main-royal,  notwithstanding  that  the  wind  was  still 
blowing  very  nearly  half  a  gale. 

The  course  of  the  stranger  being  diagonal  to  that  of  the  Ala 
bama,  the  speed  at  which  she  was  travelling  soon  brought  her 
within  speaking  distance,  and,  as  usual,  a  feint  was  made  for  the 
purpose  of  extorting  a  confession  of  her  nationality.  The  flag 
chosen  this  time  was  the  English  blue  ensign,  and  it  was  speedily 
answered  by  the  Stars  and  Stripes,  which  fluttered  gaily  from  the 
merchantman's  peak  as  she  dashed  along  under  her  towering  mass 
of  canvas  before  the  breeze,  right  across  the  Alabama's  path. 

Another  moment  and  the  scene  was  changed.  The  Yankee  en 
sign  had  hardly  reached  her  peak,  when  down  came  the  beguiling 
signal  from  the  Alabama's  flagstaff,  and  the  white  folds  of  the 
Confederate  ensign  unfurled  themselves  in  its  stead.  A  flash,  a 


CRUISE   OF   THE  ALABAMA  AND  THE   SUMTER.       123 

spnrt  of  white  smoke,  curling  for  a  moment  from  the  cruiser's  lee- 
bow,  and  vanishing  in  snowy  wreaths  upon  the  wind, and  the  loud 
report  of  a  gun  from  the  Alabama,  summoned  the  luckless  Yan 
kee  to  heave  to.  'In  a  moment  all  was  in  confusion  on  board  the 
merchantman.  Sheets  and  halyards  were  let  go  by  the  run,  and 
the  huge  cloud  of  canvas  seemed  to  shrink  and  shrivel  up  as  the 
vessel  was  rounded  to  with  folded  wings  like  a  crippled  bird,  and 
with  her  foretopsail  to  the  mast,  lay  submissively  awaiting  the 
commands  of  her  captors. 

She  proved  to  be  the  ship  Lafayette,  of  Boston,  bound  to  Bel 
fast,  with  a  full  cargo  of.  grain,  <fec.  Of  her  own  nationality  there 
was,  of  course,  no  doubt;  but  a  question  now  arose  about  the 
ownership  of  the  cargo,  and  some  hours  of  patient  investigation 
were  necessary  before  Captain  Semmes  could  determine  upon  the 
course  to  pursue.  Finally  it  was  determined  that  the  claim  of 
neutral  ownership  was  a  mere  blind  to  insure  against  capture; 
and  at  10  P.M.,  the  ship  having  been  formally  condemned,- the 
crew  were  transferred  to  the  Alabama,  and  the  prize  fired  and  left 
to  her  fate. 

The  following  is  Captain  Semmes7  memorandum  of  the 

CASE    OP    THE    LAFAYETTE. 

Ship  and  cargo  condemned.  The  cargo  of  this  ship  was  con 
demned  by  me  as  enemy's  property,  notwithstanding  there  were 
depositions  of  the  shippers  that  it  had  been  purchased  by  them  on 
neutral  account.  These  ex-parte  statements  are  precisely  such  as 
every  unscrupulous  merchant  would  prepare,  to  deceive  his  enemy 
and  save  his  property  from  capture.  There  are  two  shipping 
houses  in  this  case ;  that  of  Craig  and  Nicoll,  and  that  of  Mont 
gomery  Bros. :  Messrs.  Craig  and  Nicoll  say  that  the  grain  sup 
plied  by  them  belongs  to  Messrs.  Shaw  and  Firilay,  and  to  Messrs. 
Hamilton,  Megault,  and  Thompson,  all  of  Belfast,  to  which  port 
the  ship  is  bound,  but  the  grain  is  not  consigned  to  them,  and  they 
could  not  demand  possession  of  it  under  the  bill  of  lading,  it  being 
consigned  to  order,  thus  leaving  the  control  in  the  hands  of  the 
shippers.  The  shippers,  farther,  instead  of  sending  their  grain  as 
freight  in  a  general  ship,  consigned  to  the  owners,  they  paying  the 
freight,  charter  the  whole  ship,  and  stipulate  themselves  for  the 
payment  of  the  freight.  If  this  property  had  been  bond  fide  the 
property  of  the  parties  in  Belfast  named  in  the  depositions,  it 
would  undoubtedly  have  been  consigned  to  them,  under  a  bill  of 
lading  authorizing  them  to  demand  possession  of  it,  &c.,  &c. ;  the 
agreement  with  the  ship  would  have  been  that  the  consignees  and 
owners  should  pay  the  freight  upon  delivery.  Even  if  this  pro- 


CRUISE  OF  THE  ALABAMA  AND  THE  SUMTER. 

perty  were  purchased,  as  pretended,  by  Messrs.  Craig  and  Nicoll, 
for  the  parties  named,  still  theij;  not  consigning  it  to  them  and  de 
livering  to  them  the  proper  bill  of  lading  passing  the  possession, 
left  the  property  under  the  dominion  of  Craig  and  Nicoll,  and  as 
such,  liable  to  capture.  The  property  attempted  to  be  covered  by 
the  Messrs.  Montgomery,  is  shipped  by  Montgomery  Bros,  of 
New  York,  and  consigned  to  Montgomery  Bros.,  in  Belfast ;  and 
the  title  to  the  property,  so  far  as  appears  in  the  bill  of  lading,  is 
in  the  latter  house,  or  in  the  branch  house  in  New  York.  Fur 
ther,  the  mere  formal  papers  of  a  ship  and  cargo  prove  nothing, 
unless  properly  verified,  and  in  this  case  the  master  of  the  ship, 
although  a  part  owner  of  the  ship,  whose  duty  it  was  upon  taking 
in  a  cargo  in  time  of  war,  to  be  informed  of  all  the  circumstances 
attending  it,  and  connected  with  the  ownership,  knew  nothing, 
except  what  he  learned  from  the  face  of  the  papers.  These  cer 
tificates,  therefore,  were  pronounced  a  fraud,  arid  the  cargo  as  well 
as  the  ship,  condemned.  3d  Phillimore  610-12  to  the  effect, 
that  if  the  goods  are  going  for  account  of  the  shipper,  or  subject 
to  his  order  or  control  (as  in  this  case),  the  property  is  not  divested 
in  transitu.  The  goods  shipped  by  Craig  and  Nicoll,  were  con 
signed  to  their  order ,  as  has  been  seen. 

As  to  the  Montgomery's,  see  3rd  Phillimore  605,  to  the  effect 
that  if  a  person  be  a  partner  in  a  house  of  trade  in  an  enemy's 
country,  he  is,  as  to  the  concerns  and  trade  of  that  house,  deemed 
an  enemy,  and  his  share  is  liable  to  confiscation  as  such,  notwith 
standing  his  own  residence  is  in  a  neutral  country.  Further,  the 
property  consigned  to  Montgomery  Bros.,  even  admitting  the  Bel 
fast  house  not  to  be  a  partner  in  the  New  York  house,  is  liable  to 
the  same  objection,  as  in  the  case  of  Craig  and  Nicoll ;  since,  al 
though  the  property  is  described  as  belonging  to  a  party  in  Sligo, 
there  is  no  bill  of  lading  among  the  papers  authorizing  that  party 
to  demand  the  possession.  The  property  is  not  divested,  therefore, 
t«  transitu. 

3rd  Phillimore,  599,  to  the  effect,  that  "  further  proof"  is  al 
ways  necessary  when  the  master  cannot  swear  to  the  ownership  of 
the  property  (as  in  this  case).  And  as  I  cannot  send  my  prizes  in 
for  adjudication,  I  must  of  necessity  condemn  in  all  cases  where 
"  further  proof"  is  necessary,  since  the  granting  of  "  further  proof" 
proceeds  on  the  presumption  that  the  neutrality  of  the  cargo  is 
not  sufficiently  established  ;  and  where  the  neutrality  of  the  pro 
perty  does  not  fully  appear  from  the  ship's  papers  and  the  master's 
deposition,  I  had  the  right  to  act  upon  the  presumption  of  ene 
my's  property. 


CRUISE   OF  THE  ALABAMA  AND  THE  SUMTER.        125 

By  midnight  the  Lafayette  showed  only  a  dim  glare  on  the  dis 
tant  horizon,  but  the  event  formed  a  topic  of  discussion  for  the 
next  two  days,  more  especially  as  from  the  newspapers  found  on 
board  it  was  ascertained  that  news  of  the  captures  on  the  banks 
of  Newfoundland  had  already  made  its  way  to  the  United  States, 
and  that  tlie  Yankee  cruisers  were,  therefore,  probably  by  that 
time  in  full  pursuit. 

The  26th  October,  however,  provided  the  crew  of  the  Alabama 
with  a  fresh  excitement.  The  weather  had  cleared  beautifully,  the 
wind  was  light  from  the  eastward,  and  the  vessel  was  gliding 
smoothly  and  swiftly,  with  studdingsails  set  alow  and  aloft,  over 
the  long,  easy  swell,  which  alone  remained  to  tell  of  the  heavy 
gales  of  the  past  fortnight.  Every  one  was  enjoying  the  change, 
and  even  the  strict  discipline  of  the  man-of-war  was,  for  the  mo 
ment,  in  some  measure  relaxed,  as  officers  and  men  gave  themselves 
up  to  the  full  pleasure  of  a  period  of  sunshine  and  tranquillity, 
after  the  long  spell  of  gloom  and  storm.  The  lookout-man  alone, 
high  up  on  the  fore  topgallant  crosstrees,  still  swept  the  horizon  as 
eagerly  as  ever  in  search  of  a  prize.  At  about  noon  his  vigilance 
was  rewarded  by  the  sight  of  a  sail  on  the  port-quarter,  and  in  a 
moment  all  was  again  bustle  and  excitement  on  board.  Quick  as 
the  word  could  be  given,  the  "flying  kites"  were  furled,  yards 
braced  in,  and  the  ship  hauled  up  on  a  taut  bowline  in  chase. 

But  the  stranger  was  now  well  to  windward,  and  fully  four  or  five 
miles  distant.  The  Alabama  flew  through  the  water  with  the 
freshening  breeze,  flinging  the  spray  over  her  sharp  bows,  and 
stretching  to  her  task  as  though  she  herself  were  conscious  of  the 
work  before  her,  and  eager  in  chase.  But  the  strange  sail  was  al 
most,  if  not  quite,  as  fast  as  herself  and  her  position  so  far  to 
windward  gave  her  an  immense  advantage.  The  day,  too,  was 
wearing  on,  and  the  sky  beginning  to  cloud  over,  giving  every  to 
ken  of  a  dark  if  not  a  stormy  night.  If  the  chase  could  only  hold 
on  her  course  till  dusk  she  was  safe,  and  already  the  hopes  of 
another  prize  were  beginning  to  fade,  and  the  anxious  speculators 
on  the  forecastle  were  expecting  the  order  to  up  helm  and  relinquish 
the  chase. 

On  the  quarter-deck,  too,  the  idea  was  gaining  ground  that  the 
affair  was  hopeless,  and  that  it  was  not  worth  while  to  keep  the 
ship  longer  from  her  course.  But  the  Alabama  was  not  given  to 
letting  a  chance  slip,  and  before  finally  abandoning  the  pursuit  it 
was  determined  to  try  the  effect  of  a  shot  or  two  upon  the  nerves 
of  the  stranger.  A  slight  cheer,  quickly  checked  by  the  voice  of 
authority,  rose  from  the  eager  crowd  on  the  forecastle,  as  the  wea 
ther  bow  gun  was  cast  loose  and  loaded,  and  in  another  minute  the 


126        CRUISE   OF  THE  ALABAMA  AND  THE  SUMTER. 

bright  flash,  with  its  accompanying  jet  of  white  smoke,  leaped 
from  the  cruiser's  bow,  as  the  loud  report  of  a  32-pounder  rang 
out  the  command  to  heave  to. 

A  moment  of  breathless  suspense,  and  another  cheer  rose  from 
the  delighted  throng  of  sailors,  as  the  stranger's  sails  were  seen 
for  a  moment  to  shiver  in  the  wind,  and  the  frightened  chase  luffed 
to  the  wind,  and  then  lay  motionless  with  the  Stars  and  Stripes  at 
her  mizenpeak.  Another  sharp  hour's  beating  and  the  Alabama 
was  alongside,  and  had  taken  possession  of  the  United  States 
schooner  Crenshaw,  from  New  York  to  Glasgow,  three  days  out. 

And  now  began  another  investigation  into  the  character  of  the 
cargo,  and  notes  were  once  more  carefully  compared,  lest  any  bond 
fide  neutral  property  should  become  involved  in  the  fate  that 
would  otherwise  befall  the  captured  enemy.  Finally,  however, 
the  case  was  decided  against  ship  and  cargo,  and  both  were 
accordingly  committed  to  the  flames,  the  following  entry  being 
made  by  Captain  Semmes  of  the  grounds  of  his  decision  : — 


CASE  OF  THE  SCHOONER  CRENSHAW. 

This  vessel  was  captured  under  the  North  American  flag,  and 
had  on  board  a  North  American  register — there  is,  therefore,  no 
question  as  to  the  ship.  There  has  been  an  attempt  to  cover  the 
cargo,  but  without  success.  The  shippers  are  Francis  Macdonald 
and  Co.,  of  the  city  of  New  York  ;  and  Mr.  James  Hutchison, 
also  of  New  York,  deposed  before  the  British  consul,  that  "the 
goods  specified  in  the  annexed  bills  of  lading  were  shipped  on 
board  the  schooner  Crenshaw,  for,  and  on  account  of,  subjects  of 
Her  Britannic  Majesty,  and  that  the  said  goods  are  wholly  and 
bond  fide  the  property  of  British  subjects."  No  British  subject 
is  named  in  the  deposition,  and  no  person  is  therefore  entitled  to 
claim  under  it.  Further  :  even  admitting  the  goods  to  have  been 
purchased  on  British  account,  the  shipper  has  not  divested  him 
self  of  the  possession  by  a  proper  consignment,  under  a  proper 
bill  of  lading.  The  property  is  consigned  to  the  order  of  the 
shipper,  which  leaves  it  entirely  under  his  control ;  and  it  having 
left  the  port  of  New  York  as  his  property,  the  title  cannot  be 
changed  while  the  property  is  in  transitu. 

As  to  the  first  point — to  wit,  the  failure  to  point  out  some  par 
ticular  British  owner  of  the  property — see  3d  Phillimore  596,  to 
the  following  effect : — "  If  in  the  ship's  papers,  property,  in  a 
voyage  from  an  enemy's  port,  be  described  *  for  neutral  account,' 
this  is  such  a  general  mode  as  points  to  no  designation  whatever ; 
and  under  such  a  description  no  person  can  say  that  the  cargo 


CRUISE  OF   THE  ALABAMA  AND  THE   SUMTER.       127 

belongs  to  him,  or  can  entitle  himself  to  the  possession  of  it  as 
his  property,"  &c. 

And  as  to  the  second  point — to  wit,  the  failure  on  the  part  of 
the  shipper  to  divest  himself  of  the  title  and  control  of  the  pro 
perty  by  a  proper  bill  of  lading — see  3rd  Phillimore  610-12,  as 
follows,  viz. :  "  In  ordinary  shipments  of  goods,  unaffected  by  the 
foregoing  principles,  the  question  of  proprietary  interest  often 
turns  on  minute  circumstances  and  distinctions,  the  general  prin 
ciple  being,  that  if  they  are  going  for  account  of  the  shipper,  or 
subject  to  his  order  or  control,  the  property  is  not  divested  in 
transit  u"  &c. 


Monday,  October  21th. — Another  gale  of  wind !  In  the  mid- 
watch  last  night  the  barometer  commenced  falling,  and  by  3  this 
afternoon  it  had  gone  down  to  29'33,  where  it  remained  stationary 
for  a  time,  and  then  began  to  rise  slowly,  being  at  29-45  at  8  P.M. 
The  wind  began  to  blow  freshly  from  the  south,  and  hauled  gra 
dually  to  the  westward,  the  barometer  commencing  to  rise  when 
the  wind  was  about  W.S.W.  In  the  early  part  of  the  gale  we 
had  the  weather  very  thick,  with  heavy  squalls  of  rain,  clearing 
about  nightfall,  with  the  wind  from  the  W.S.W. 

In  the  midst  of  a  heavy  squall  of  wind  and  rain,  and  with  a 
heavy  sea  on,  we  discovered  a  brig  close  aboard  of  us,  on  our 
weather  quarter ;  but  as  we  were  on  opposite  tacks  we  soon  in 
creased  our  distance  from  each  other.  Wore  ship,  and  hove  to, 
under  close-reefed  topsails  on  the  starboard  tack.  Being  about  a 
degree  to  the  southward  of  St.  George's  Bank,  got  a  cast  of  the 
lead  at  7  P.M.,  with  no  bottom  at  eighty -five  fathoms.  Lat.  39.47 
N.,  Long.  68.06  W.,  a  little  over  two  hundred  miles  from  New  York. 

Tuesday,  October  28th. — Weather  cloudy  ;  wind  light  from  the 
north,  hauling  to  the  eastward.  The  heavy  sea,  from  the  effects 
of  the  gale  yesterday,  continued  all  day  rolling  and  tumbling  us 
about,  and  keeping  the  deck  flooded  with  water.  In  the  morning 
watch  descried  a  brig  running  off  to  the  southward.  She  being 
some  distance  off,  and  running  in  the  wrong  direction,  we  did  not 
chase.  Soon  afterwards  another  sail  was  reported  to  the  west 
ward,  standing  in  our  direction  ;  shaped  a  course  to  head  her  off, 
and  at  11  A.M.,  having  approached  her  within  half  a  mile,  hoisted 
the  English  blue.  The  stranger  showing  United  States  colours, 
we  hoisted  our  own,  and  hove  him  to  with  a  gun.  Brought  the 
master  on  board  with  his  papers,  and  rinding  the  cargo  condenln- 
able,  got  the  crew  on  r^oard,  fired  the  ship,  and  filled  away. 

The  prize  proved  to  be  the  barque  Lauretta,  of  Boston,  from 


128       CRUISE   OF  THE  ALABAMA  AND  THE   SUMTER. 

New  York,  for  Madeira  and  the  Mediterranean.  Received  papers 
as  late  as  the  24th.  The  intelligence  of  our  captures  (as  late  as 
the  Brilliant)  seems  to  have  created  great  alarm  for  the  safety  of 
commerce  in  New  York. 

CASE    OF    THE    LAURETTA. 

This  ship  being  under  American  colours,  with  an  American 
(U.S.)  register,  no  question  arises  as  to  the  ship.  There  are  two 
shippers  of  the  cargo,  Messrs.  Chamberlain,  Phelps,  and  Co.,  and 
Mr.  H.  J.  Burden,  both  houses  of  New  York  city.  Chamberlain, 
Phelps,  and  Co.  ship  1424  barrels  of  flour,  and  a  lot  of  pipe 
staves,  to  be  delivered  at  Gibraltar  or  Messina, to  their  own  order; 
and  225  kegs  of  nails  to  be  delivered  at  Messina,  to  Mariano  Cas- 
tarelli.  The  bill  of  lading  for  the  flour  and  staves  has  the  fol 
lowing  indorsement,  sworn  to  before  a  notary  :  "  State,  city  and 
county  of  New  York  :  Louis  Contencin  being  duly  sworn,  says, 
that  he  is  a  clerk  with  Chamberlain,  Phelps,  and  Co.,  and  that 
part  of  the  maize  in  the  within  bill  of  lading,  is  the  property  of 
subjects  of  the  King  of  Italy."  This  certificate  is  of  no  force  or 
effect  for  its  generality  ;  it  points  to  no  one  as  the  owner  of  the 
merchandise,  and  no  person  could  claim  it  under  the  certificate. 
See  3rd  Phillimore,  596.  Farther:  the  property  is  consigned  to 
the  order  of  the  shipper.  The  title,  therefore,  remains  in  him, 
and  cannot  be  divested  in  transitu.  See  3rd  Phillimore,  610-12. 
The  contingent  destination  of  this  property,  too,  shows  that  it  was 
property  for  a  market.  It  was  to  be  delivered  either  at  Gibraltar 
or  Messina,  as  the  shipper  might  determine — probably  on  advices 
by  steamer,  before  the  ship  should  reach  her  destination.  She 
was  to  stop,  as  we  have  seen,  at  Madeira,  which  would  give  ample 
time  for  the  decision. 

The  bill  of  lading  for  the  225  kegs  of  nails  has  a  similar  in 
dorsement,  except  that  it  is  asserted  that  the  whole  of  the  property 
belongs  to  subjects  of  the  King  of  Italy.  It  is  not  sworn  that  the 
property  belongs  to  Castarelli,  the  consignee,  and  for  aught  that 
appears,  Castarelli  is  the  agent  of  the  shipper  to  receive  this  con 
signment  on  his,  the  shipper's  account.  The  presumption  being,  that 
notwithstanding  a  consignment  in  due  form  by  an  enemy  shipper  to 
a  neutral,  the  property  is  enemy's  property,  until  the  contrary  be 
shown.  The  consignment  alone  does  not  show  the  property  to  be 
vested  in  Castarelli,  and  the  certificate  does  not  indicate  him  as 
the  owner.  Although  Castarelli  could  demand  possession  of  the 
goods,  under  this  consignment,  he  could  not  claim  to  hold  them  as 
his  property  under  the  certificate.  There  is,  therefore,  no  evidence 
to  show  that  he  is  uot  the  mere  agent  of  the  shipper.  What  ren- 


CRUISE   OF  THE  ALABAMA  AND  THE  SUMTER.       129 

ders  this  consideration  still  more  clear  is,  that  if  the  goods  had 
really  belonged  to  Castarelli,  it  would  have  been  so  stated  in  the 
certificate.  Why  say  that  the  goods  belonged  to  "  subjects  of  the 
King  of  Italy,"  when  the  consignee  was  the  real  owner  ? 

The  property  shipped  by  H.  Jas.  Burden  consists  of  998  barrels 
of  flour  and  290  boxes  of  herrings,  and  is  consigned  to  Charles  B. 
Blandly,  Esq.,  at  Funchal,  Madeira.  The  shipper,  H.  J.  Burden, 
makes  the  following  affidavit  before  the  British  consul  in  New 
York,  to  wit :  "  That  all  and  singular  the  goods  specified  in  the 
annexed  bill  of  lading,  were  shipped  by  H.  J.  Burden,  in  the 
barque  Lauretta,  for  and  on  account  of  II.  J.  Burden,  subject  of 
Her  Britannic  Majesty."  Now,  Burden  may  be  a  very  good  sub 
ject  of  Her  Britannic  Majesty,  but  he  describes  himself  as  of  42 
Beaver  Street,  New  York,  and  seems  to  lose  sight  of  the  fact,  that 
his  domicile,  for  the  purposes  of  trade,  in  the  enemy's  country, 
makes  him  au  enemy,  quoad  all  his  transactions  in  that  country. 
Further:  if  the  H.  J.  Burden,  the  shipper,  is  not  one  and 
the  same  person  with  the  H.  J.  Burden  for  whom  the  property  is 
claimed,  then  there  is  nothing  in  the  papers  to  show  that  property 
is  vested  in  the  latter,  since  it  is  not  consigned  to  him,  nor  is  it 
shown  that  the  consignee,  Charles  B.  Blandly,  Esq.,  is  his  agent. 
The  presumption,  in  the  absence  of  proof,  is,  that  the  consignee  is 
the  agent  of  the  shipper. 

Wednesday,  October  29^.—  *  *  *  *  At  10  A.M.  hove 
to;  let  down  the  propeller,  and  put  the  ship  under  steam.  Chased 
and  overhauled  a  Dutch  barque,  and  towards  nightfall  came  up 
with  the  United  States  brigantine,  Baron  de  Custine,  from  Ban- 
gor,  with  lumber  for  Cardenas.  The  vessel  being  old,  and  of  little 
value,  I  released  her  on  ransom  bond,  and  converted  her  into  a 
cartel,  sending  some  forty-five  prisoners  on  board  of  her,  the  crews 
of  the  last  three  ships  burned. 


CHAPTER   XVIII. 

Disappointment — Out  of  the  track— The  Levi  Starbuck — Fresh  vegetables 
— News — The  other  side  of  the  case— Kindness  repaid — The  T.  B.  Wales 
— A  family —  Volunteers — In  man-of-war  trim. 

THE  month  of  October  went  out  as  it  came  in  with  severe  and 
blustering  weather.  The  Alabama  was  still  upwards  of  two  hun 
dred  miles  from  New  York,  and  it  seemed  as  though  a  change 

6* 


130       CRUISE   OF  THE   ALABAMA  AND  THE  SUMTER. 

would  become  necessary  in  her  plans.  Ever  since  starting  upon 
his  adventurous  cruise,  it  had  been  a  favorite  scheme  with  Captain 
Sennnes  to  make  his  appearance  off  this  the  very  chief  of  the 
enemy's  ports,  and,  if  not  strong  enough  actually  to  threaten  the 
place  itself,  at  all  events  to  make  a  few  captures  within  sight  of 
the  capital  city  of  the  North.  It  had  been,  therefore,  a  special 
disappointment  to  find  himself  baffled  by  a  continued  succession 
of  hostile  winds  and  contrary  currents  ;  and  even  the  brilliant  suc 
cess  that  had  thus  far  attended  him  in  the  capture  of  twenty-one 
vessels  and  the  destruction  of  property  to  very  nearly  a  million  of 
dollars,  seemed  hardly  to  compensate  for  the  failure  of  his  pet 
project. 

It  was  fast  becoming  evident,  however,  that  the  scheme  for 
putting  in  an  appearance  off  New  York  must  be  abandoned,  at  all 
events  for  the  present ;  and  on  the  30th  October  the  chief  engineer 
was  consulted  as  to  the  amount  of  coal  remaining  in  the  bunkers. 
The  report  was  unfavorable.  Four  days'  fuel  only  was  left;  and 
it  was  clear  that  even  had  the  vessel  been  nearer  than  she  was  to 
her  intended  cruising  ground,  this  would  have  been  rather  a  short 
supply  with  which  to  venture  on  so  dangerous  an  experiment. 
Reluctantly,  therefore,  the  scheme  was  relinquished,  the  fires  let 
down,  propeller  hoisted  up  again,  and  sail  made  to  the  southward 
and  eastward  en  route  for  the  coal  depot. 

The  ship  was  now  out  of  the  track  of  commerce,  and  for  some 
time  scarcely  a  vessel  was  seen.  The  2cl  November,  however, 
brought  a  prize  in  the  shape  of  the  ship  Levi  Starbuck,  five  days 
out  from  New  Bedford,  on  a  whaling  voyage  of  thirty  months  to 
the  Pacific  Ocean.  Like  all  whalers,  she  carried  a  stronger  crew 
than  is  common  with  other  vessels  of  similar  tonnage,  and  twenty- 
nine  prisoners  were  transferred  from  her  to  the  Alabama.  Being 
bound,  too,  on  so  long  a  cruise,  she  was  well  furnished  with  all 
necessaries,  and  the  captor  was  enabled  to  supply  himself  from  her 
with  various  articles  of  which,  by  this  time,  and  after  the  rough 
weather  he  had  experienced,  he  had  begun  to  stand  somewhat 
sorely  in  need. 

Not  the  least  highly-priced  among  the  spoils  of  the  Levi  Star- 
buck  was  a  noble  collection  of  cabbages  and  turnips,  fresh  from 
their  native  soil !  These  were,  indeed,  invaluable.  The  Alabama 
had  now  been  upwards  of  seventy  days  at  sea,  and  during  nearly 
the  whole  of  that  period  her  crew  had  subsisted  entirely  on  salted 
provisions.  Happily,  as  yet,  no  ill  effects  had  appeared ;  but  the 
fresh  vegetables  came  most  opportunely  to  ward  off  any  danger  of 
that  scourge  of  the  sailor's  existence,  scurvy,  to  which  a  longer 
confinement  to  salt  die^  must  inevitably  have  exposed  them. 


CRUISE   OF  THE   ALABAMA  AND  THE  SUMTEK.       131 

Indeed,  but  for  the  consciousness  of  how  vitally  necessary  a 
change  of  diet  is  to  the  health  of  a  ship's  crew,  there  would  have 
been  something  almost  ludicrous  in  the  delight  with  which  the 
men,  who  for  the  last  six  months  had  been  almost  daily  destroy 
ing  thousands  of  pounds'  worth  of  the  most  valuable  property  of 
every  description,  now  hailed  the  acquisition  of  a  sack  or  two  of 
turnips  and  a  few  strings  of  humble  cabbages.  But  abstinence  is 
a  wonderful  quickener  of  apprehension  ;  and  for  teaching  the  true 
value  of  the  good  things  of  this  life,  there  are  few  recipes  more 
effectual  than  a  voyage  in  the  forecastle  of  a  cruising  man-of-war. 

Besides  the  cabbages  and  turnips,  which  were  so  welcome  for 
ward,  the  Levi  Starbuck  contributed  not  a  little  to  the  comfort  of 
the  after-part  of  the  vessel  by  her  contribution  of  newspapers, 
which  passed  eagerly  from  hand  to  hand,  through  ward-room  and 
steerage,  affording  a  pleasant  change  from  the  worn-out  topics  of 
discussion  that  had  now  grown  threadbare  through  the  wear-and- 
tear  of  many  a  dull  day  and  stormy  night.  The  Starbuck's  papers 
brought  news  from  Yankeeland  as  late  as  the  28th  of  October, 
and  not  the  least  important  item  was  that  which  told  of  the  ex 
citement  occasioned  among  the  enemy  by  the  little  craft  whose 
officers  were  now  jesting  merrily  over  the  consternation  she  had 
raised,  and  the  measures  that  were  being  taken  for  her  destruction. 

It  was  certainly  not  a  little  amusing  to  read  in  the  angry 
columns  of  Yankee  newspapers,  the  magnificently-exaggerated  ac 
counts  of  the  depredations  of  the  dreaded  Confederate  "  pirate." 
It  was  difficult  sometimes  to  recognise  the  events  referred  to 
under  the  gorgeous  embellishments  with  which  they  were  invested. 
Occasionally,  too,  an  exclamation  of  disgust  would  be  heard  from 
some  officer,  more  excited  or  less  philosophic  than  his  comrades,  as 
with  his  head  half-buried  in  some  broad,  ill-printed,  vilely-smelling 
sheet,  he  would  declaim  from  its  columns,  for  the  edification  of 
the  mess,  paragraph  after  paragraph  of  abuse  of  the  vessel  and  her 
officers,  and  withering  denunciations  of  the  barbarity  with  which 
their  unfortunate  prisoners  were  treated  while  on  board.  Among 
those  who  thus  revealed  their  true  nature  by  abusing  and  vilifying 
the  men,  who,  though  enemies,  had  endeavoured  while  they  had 
them  in  their  power  to  alleviate  in  every  possible  way  the  iuevi- 
. table  hardships  of  captivity,  the  master  of  the  ship  Brilliant 
obtained  for  himself  an  unenviable  pre-eminence,  by  the  grossness 
of  the  falsehoods  with  which  he  retaliated  upon  his  captors  for 
their  mistaken  kindness ;  and  many  a  vow  was  registered  in  the 
ward-room  and  gun-room  of  the  Alabama,  that  should  this  gentle 
man  ever  again  fall  into  their  hands,  they  would  be  wiser  than  to 
waste  courtesy  oil  one  who  could  so  little  appreciate  it. 


132       CRUISE  OF  THE  ALABAMA  AND  THE  SUMTER. 

The  Levi  Starbuck  having  been  disposed  of  in  the  usual  man 
ner,  sail  was  again  made  upon  the  Alabama,  and  on  the  5th  No 
vember,  Bermuda,  "the  still  vexed,"  was  passed,  though  at  too 
great  a  distance  to  sight  the  land. 

Saturday,  November  8th. —  *  *  *  In  the  mid-watch  a  sail 
was  reported — a  schooner,  standing  south.  Wore  ship  (1.30 
A.M.)  and  gave  chase.  Soon  after  daylight,  the  chase  being 
some  five  miles  dead  to  windward  of  us,  a  ship  was  discerned 
standing  to  the  northward  and  westward.  Discontinued  the 
chase  of  the  schooner,  and  gave  chase  to  the  ship.  At  10  A.M., 
the  latter  having  approached  to  within  a  mile  of  us  (we  having 
United  States  colours  flying),  hove  her  to  with  a  gun,  and  a  change 
of  flags.  Sent  a  boat,  and  brought  the  master  on  board.  She 
proved  to  be  tho  ship  T.  B.  Wales,  of  Boston,  from  Calcutta  for 
Boston.  There  being  no  claim  of  neutral  property  among  the 
papers,  and  the  master  having  no  knowledge  on  the  subject,  ex 
cept  that  the  linseed  belonged  to  the  owner  of  the  ship,  con 
demned  both  ship  and  cargo.  A  large  portion  of  this  cargo  was 
consigned  to  Baring  Brothers,  Boston,  including  1704  bags  of 
saltpetre — contraband  of  war — which  would  have  condemned  all 
the  property  of  the  Barings,  even  if  proof  of  ownership  had  been 
found  on  board,  which  was  not  the  case. 

We  are  to  be  embarrassed  with  two  females  and  some  children, 
the  master  having  his  wife  with  him,  and  there  being  also  a  pas 
senger  and  his  wife.  I  shall  bestow  them  upon  the  ward-room, 
having  a  couple  of  state  rooms  vacated  for  them.  Poor  women  ! 
They  are  suffering  for  the  sins  of  their  wicked  countrymen  who 
are  waging  this  murderous  war  upon  us. 

******* 

About  nightfall  another  sail  was  descried  from  aloft,  and  a  light 
was  seen  after  dark;  but  we  did  not  get  hold  of  the  sail.  Just 
at  dark,  having  taken  all  the  prisoners  on  board  from  the  prize, 
and  got  her  mainyard  on  board  to  replace  ours,  carried  away  in 
the  storm  of  the  16th  ultimo,  we  set  fire  to  her,  and  filled  away 
on  our  course.  Nine  of  the  crew  of  this  ship  volunteered,  and 
were  shipped  as  part  of  our  own  crew — an  acquisition  more 
valuable  than  the  prize  herself. 

Sunday,  November  9th. —  *  *  *  *  ]yjv  fnenage  has  be 
come  quite  home-like  with  the  presence  of  women  and  the  merry 
voices  of  children.  We  have  had  a  quiet  Sabbath-day,  there  be 
ing  nothing  in  sight. 

For  some  time  from  this  date  quiet  days  preponderated.    The 


CKUISE  OF  THE  ALABAMA  AND  THE  SUMTER.       133 

Alabama  was  now  in  the  region  of  the  trade  winds,  but  it  was 
some  time  before  they  were  fairly  taken.  From  the  9th  Novem 
ber,  in  Lat.  27.52  N.,  Long.  58.24  W.,  to  the  15th  November,  in 
Lat.  21  N.,  Long.  57.49  W.,  the  wind  continued  light  and  varia 
ble,  sometimes  even  for  a  few  hours-  blowing  directly  from  the 
southward.  On  the  15th  November  the  N.  E.  trade  appeared 
to  have  fairly  set  in,  and  from  this  time  fine  weather  and  fa 
vouring  breezes  became  the  order  of  the  day. 

Sunday,  November  16th. — Beautiful  clear  weather,  with  a  mo 
derate  trade  from  about  east  by  south.  Woollen  clothes  be 
coming  uncomfortable.  At  11  A.M.  mustered  the  crew,  and  in 
spected  the  ship.  A  quiet  Sabbath-day,  with  nothing  in  sight. 
Our  ship  begins  to  look  quite  like  a  ship  of  war — with  her  battery 
in  fine  order,  her  decks  clean,  freshly-painted  outside,  masts 
scraped,  &c.,  &c.,  and  the  crew  well  disciplined.  Thus  far  I 
have  never  seen  a  better  disposed  or  more  orderly  crew.  They 
have  come  very  kindly  into  the  traces. 

Monday,  November  11  th. —  *  *  *  Running  before  the  wind, 
with  studding-sails  set  on  both  sides.  At  2  P.M.  made  the  island 
of  Dominica,  half  a  point  on  the  starboard  bow. 


CHAPTER  XIX. 

Martinique — News  from  home — Friendly  greetings — Mutiny  ! —  Order 
restored — The  San  Jadnto — Neutrality  of  the  port  invaded — Prompt 
measures  —  Expectation  —  Ready  for  action  —  Success  —  Locking  an 
empty  stable — Temptation — The  Clara  L.  Sparks — Refitting — A  court- 
martial — Dismissed. 

THE  18th  November  saw  Captain  Semmes  again  off  Martinique, 
which  he  had  visited  in  the  Sumter  just  twelve  months  before. 
Making  the  north  end  of  the  island  at  about  4  A.M.,  the  propeller 
was  lowered  and  steam  got  up,  the  day  breaking  just  as  the  Ala 
bama's  screw  began  to  revolve.  At  10  A.M.,  having  run  past  St. 
Pierre,  she  anchored  in  the  harbour  of  Fort  de  France. 

Here  she  found  her  faithful  consort,  the  Agrippina,  from  whom 
she  had  parted  at  Terceira  on  the  24th  of  August.  On  her  de 
parture  from  that  port,  she  had  returned  with  all  speed  to  Car 
diff,  from  which  she  had  again  sailed  for  the  rendezvous  at  Mar 
tinique,  and  was  now  ready  with  a  fresh  supply  of  coal  for  the 
Alabama,  and  had  been  waiting  her  arrival  just  eight  days.  In 
addition  to  the  much  needed  supply  of  coal,  the  Agrippina 


134      CRUISE   OF  THE  ALABAMA  AND  THE  SUMTER. 

brought  a  small  mail  for  the  Alabama's  officers,  who  thus  re 
ceived  news  from  friends  at  home  for  the  first  time  for  more 
than  three  months. 

No  sooner  was  the  anchor  down  than  a  lieutenant  was  sent 
ashore  to  pay  the  usual  visit  of  ceremony  to  the  Governor,  carry 
ing  with  him  a  note,  informing  his  Excellency  of  the  arrival  of 
the  Confederate  steamer  Alabama  in  French  waters.  A  few 
hours  brought  a  courteous  reply,  extending  to  the  Alabama  the 
hospitality  of  the  port ;  and  the  health  officers  having  visited  the 
ship,  arrangements  were  made  for  laying  in  a  stock  of  provisions, 
and  such  other  articles  as  were  required  after  the  cruise.  Nor 
were  the  amenities  of  the  Alabama's  reception  confined  to  the 
authorities  alone.  An  enthusiastic  greeting  awaited  her  from 
almost  every  one ;  the  clubs  were  placed  at  their  disposal,  and  in 
vitations  d  discretion  poured  in  from  every  side. 

It  would,  perhaps,  have  been  better  for  the  discipline  of  the 
Alabama  had  the  welcome  extended  to  her  crew  been  somewhat 
less  cordial.  Weary  of  their  long  confinement,  and  bent,  as  the 
sailor  always  seems  to  be  on  first  putting  into  port,  on  a  "good 
spree,"  a  considerable  number  of  her  men  fairly  succumbed  to  the 
hospitality  of  the  worthy  islanders,  a  result  that  was  not  a  little 
aggravated  by  the  exertions  of  the  deserter,  Forrest.  This  man 
appears  to  have  entertained  a  deliberate  purpose  of  exciting  a 
mutiny  on  board  of  the  vessel,  and  with  this  object  in  view, 
managed  to  slip  overboard  unobserved,  swam  to  a  boat,  and  re 
turned  on  board  with  a  quantity  of  spirits,  which  he  distributed 
through  the  forecastle.  The  result  was  a  disturbance,  which  at 
one  time  wore  a  serious  aspect,  and  which,  but  for  the  energy  and 
promptitude  of  the  means  taken  to  subdue  it,  might  havfc  had 
very  awkward  results. 

The  Captain  of  the  Alabama,  however,  was  not  a  man  to  be  in 
timidated  or  taken  off  his  guard.  No  sooner  was  the  disturbance 
reported  than  the  drums  beat  to  quarters,  and  the  sober  portion  of 
the  crew  were  at  once  directed  to  seize  the  rioters.  Placed  in 
double  irons,  and  effectually  drenched  with  buckets  of  cold  water 
by  their  laughing  comrades,  the  unlucky  mutineers  soon  came  to 
their  senses,  and  order  was  restored.  The  ringleader,  Forrest,  was 
then  triced  up  in  the  mizen-rigging,  "  two  hours  on  and  two  off," 
to  await  the  punishment  of  his  crimes. 

The  next  day  brought  a  fresh  vision  of  the  Stars  and  Stripes, 
but  this  time  from  the  mizen-peak  of  a  heavily-armed  steamer, 
which  appeared  early  in  the  morning,  standing  in  towards  the 
harbour.  The  Alabama  was  at  once  cleared  for  action,  and,  as 
a  precautionary  measure,  her  funds  were  despatched  on  shore  for 


CRUISE  OF  THE  ALABAMA  AND   THE  SUMTER.       135 

deposit  in  the  event  of  the  engagement  'which  appeared  likely  to 
ensue.  This,  however,  was  not  to  be.  The  merchants,  thinking 
evidently  that  Captain  Semmes  was  in  their  power,  and  must  pay 
their  price  for  taking  charge  of  his  treasure,  refused  to  have  any 
thing  to  do  with  it  at  a  lower  rate  than  five  per  cent.  To  this  the 
officer  in  charge  would  not  agree,  and  the  money  was  again  car 
ried  on  board.  Fortunately,  as  it  turned  out,  for  when  the  true 
character  of  the  stranger  came  to  be  ascertained,  he  proved  to  be 
the  United  States  steamer  San  Jacinto,  of  fourteen  guns — viz., 
twelve  68-pounders,  and  two  eleven-inch  shell-guns,  and  therefore 
much  too  heavy  for  the  Alabama  to  venture  on  an  attack.  This 
point  was  but  just  settled  when  the  merchants  appeared  alongside 
with  an  abatement  in  their  charges  for  taking  care  of  the  Confe 
derate  treasure  ;  but  the  chance  was  gone,  and  they  were  com 
pelled  to  return  as  empty-handed  as  they  had  come. 

Meanwhile,  the  authorities  ashore  had  been  bestirring  them 
selves  to  prevent  any  violation  of  the  neutrality  of  their  port.  A 
boat  was  despatched  to  the  San  Jacinto  with  orders  either  to  come 
to  an  anchor,  in  which  case  she  must  remain  in  the  harbour  full 
twenty-four  hours  after  the  departure  of  the  Alabama,  or  else  to  pro 
ceed  again  to  sea,  and  cruise  beyond  the  limits  of  the  maritime 
league  from  the  harbour.  The  latter  alternative  being  preferred 
by  the  United  States  Captain,  the  San  Jacinto  put  her  helm  aport, 
and  came  slowly  round,  returning  to  the  prescribed  distance  from 
the  shore,  where  she  proceeded  to  steam  slowly  backwards  and  for 
wards,  in  the  hope  of  intercepting  her  little  enemy,  should  the 
latter  venture  to  leave  her  anchorage. 

Pending  this  submission  on  the  part  of  the  United  States  cruiser 
to  the  orders  of  the  Governor,  the  French  gunboat  Fata  received 
instructions  to  get  up  steam,  and  shifting  her  berth,  took  up  her 
position  close  alongside  of  the  Alabama,  fully  prepared  to  offer  her 
own  contribution  to  any  controversy  that  might  arise  between  the 
two  rival  vessels.  Her  Captain  and  officers  were  very  friendly, 
offering  every  assistance,  and  pointing  out  on  the  chart  the  best 
means  of  eluding  the  enemy,  the  superiority  of  whose  size  and 
weight  put  an  end  to  all  idea  of  a  deliberate  attack,  though  there 
were  still  some  among  the  crew  of  the  Alabama  who  could  not 
relinquish  the  hope  that  in  making  their  way  out  of  the  harbour 
an  engagement  might  be  forced  upon  them. 

All  the  vigilance  of  the  authorities,  however,  though  extending 
to  the  prohibition  of  any  intercourse  whatever  between  the  San 
Jacinto  and  the  shore,  was  unable  to  prevent  the  Yankee  from 
establishing  a  code  of  signals  by  which  he  might  at  once  be  put 
in  possession  of  any  movement  on  the  part  of  the  Confederate 


136         CRUISE   OF  THE  ALABAMA  AND  THE  SUMTER. 

steamer,  which  he  now,  no  doubt,  fully  looked  on  as  his  prize. 
Two  of  his  boats  were,  as  was  afterwards  discovered,  on  the  look 
out  during  the  night,  and  an  understanding  had  been  corne  to 
with  the  master  of  the  Yankee  vessel  lying  in  the  harbour  to 
signal  the  Alabama's  departure. 

By  dusk,  Captain  Sernmes'  preparations  were  completed ;  the 
funds,  which  the  Martinique  merchants  had  allowed  to  slip  through 
their  too-widely-opened  fingers,  were  safely  despatched  on  their 
way  to  Liverpool ;  the  necessary  supplies  were  on  board ;  and, 
with  decks  cleared  for  action,  all  lights  carefully  extinguished,  and 
all  hands  at  quarters,  the  Alabama  stole  quietly  from  her  anchor 
age,  and  steamed  cautiously  across  the  harbour  on  her  way  to  the 
open  sea. 

It  was  a  period  of  intense  anxiety  as  the  Alabama  slipped 
silently  through  the  tranquil  water  of  the  harbour,  each  moment 
bringing  her  nearer  to  the  powerful  enemy,  who,  when  dusk  had 
shut  him  from  the!r  view,  had  been  planted  in  the  very  centre  of 
the  entrance,  eagerly  looking  out  for  the  expected  prize.  Pre 
sently  it  was  found  that  her  movements  were,  at  all  events,  known 
to  the  spies  of  the  enemy,  and  a  succession  of  signals  from  the 
Yankee  vessel  they  had  left  at  anchor  were  evidently  intended  to 
warn  the  San  Jacinto  of  the  attempted  escape.  Momentarily  now 
was  expected  the  flash  of  the  enemy's  gun,  and  the  hoarse  roar  of 
his  shot,  and  each  crew  stood  by  its  loaded  gun  ready  with  a 
prompt  reply.  Not  a  word  was  uttered  on  the  crowded  deck,  and 
so  deep  was  the  silence,  that  the  low  throbbing  of  the  Alabama's 
propeller,  as  it  revolved  slowly  in  the  water,  seemed  to  strike  on 
the  ear  with  a  noise  like  thunder.  But  the  minutes  passed  by 
and  the  expected  broadside  never  came.  The  straining  eyes  of 
the  look-outs  could  see  no  sign  of  the  San  Jacinto.  Either  she 
had  misunderstood  the  signals  of  her  accomplice  on  shore,  or  by 
some  strange  fatality  they  had  altogether  escaped  her ;  and  the 
Alabama  held  on  her  course  unmolested,  until,  at  twenty  minutes 
past  eight,  less  than  an  hour  after  the  start,  she  was  considered 
tairly  out  of  danger  of  interception. 

The  guns  were  now  run  in  and  secured,  the  word  passed  to  the 
engineers  to  fire  up  and  give  her  a  full  head  of  steam  ;  the  men 
were  piped  below,  and  the  Alabama,  throwing  off  the  silence  in 
which  for  the  last  hour  she  had  been  wrapped  fore  and  aft,  darted 
off  merrily  over  the  rippling  waves,  in  the  direction  of  the  island 
of  Blanquilla,  at  the  rate  of  fourteen  knots  an  hour.  It  subse 
quently  transpired  that,  notwithstanding  all  her  vigilance  and  all 
her  pre-arranged  signals,  the  San  Jacinto  had  been  totally  unaware 
of  the  escape  of  her  agile  foe,  and  actually  remained  for  four 


CRUISE   OF  THE  ALABAMA  AND  THE  SUMTER.       137* 

• 

days  and  four  nights  carefully  keeping  guard  over  the  stable  from 
which  the  steed  had  cleverly  stolen  away. 

The  morning  of  the  21st  of  November  found  the  Alabama  off 
the  Hermanas,  and  by  1.30  PM.  she  was  in  sight  of  the  island  of 
Blanquilla,  the  appointed  rendezvous  of  the  Agrippina,  who  had 
already,  about  nine  o'clock  that  morning,  been  descried  on  the  port 
bow  making  all  speed  towards  her  destined  anchorage.  Here 
both  vessels  arrived  in  the  course  of  the  afternoon ;  the  Alabama, 
which  was  a  far  swifter  sailer  than  her  merchant  tender,  being  the 
first  to  drop  anchor,  and  the  Agrippina  following  her  in. 

As  the  two  vessels  neared  the  shore,  a  schooner  was  discovered 
at  anchor  in  the  little  bay,  and  on  the  approach  of  the  strangers 
she  hoisted  the  Stars  and  Stripes.  On  being  overhauled  by  a 
boat,  despatched  for  that  purpose  from  the  Alabama,  she  proved 
to  be  the  United  States  whaling  schooner,  Clara  L.  Sparks,  of 
Provincetown  ;  and  great  was  the  grief  and  astonishment  of  the 
unlucky  master  when  the  white  flag  of  the  Confederacy  was  disco 
vered  floating  at  the  new  comer's  peak. 

The  temptation  was  great  to  seize  her,  and  devote  her  to  the 
flames,  but  Captain  Semmes  was  anxious  for  nothing  so  much  as 
to  avoid  all  possible  ground  of  complaint  with  regard  to  any 
infringement  of  neutrality.  It  happened,  fortunately  for  the  Clara 
Sparks,  that  a  few  herdsmen  from  Venezuela  were  supporting  a 
miserable  existence  in  the  barren  island  off  which  she  was  anchored, 
and  to  make  prize  of  the  vessel  under  these  circumstances,  might 
possibly  be  construed  into  a  breach  of  neutral  privilege.  In  the 
end,  therefore,  it  was  determined  not  to  molest  the  whaler ;  and 
her  master  was  informed,  much  to  his  relief  and  delight,  that  so 
soon  as  the  Alabama's  arrangements  were  completed,  he  would  be 
free  to  continue  his  course.  Meanwhile,  however,  it  was  peremp 
torily  necessary  that  he  should  not  be  permitted  to  escape,  and 
reward  the  forbearance  of  his  captors  by  giving  her  enemy  infor 
mation  as  to  her  whereabout.  Orders  were  therefore  given  that 
the  master  and  mate  of  the  schooner  should  repair  every  evening 
on  board  the  cruiser,  remaining  with  her  till  the  morning,  when  they 
were  permitted  to  return  on  board,  and  resume  their  avocations. 

At  8  A.M.  of  Saturday,  the  27th  November,  the  operation  of 
coaling  commenced,  the  men  working  in  groups,  which  were 
relieved  every  two  hours,  and  by  nightfall  about  seventy  tons  had 
been  got  on  board.  The  wind  was  fresh  enough  to  raise  a  slight 
sea,  causing  the  two  vessels  to  chafe  considerably  as  they  lay 
closely  locked  together  for  the  purpose  of  transhipping  the  coal. 
But  notwithstanding  the  breeze,  the  day  was  so  hot  as  to  deter 
Captain  Semmes  from  visiting  the  shore,  despite  the  inevitable 


138*         CRUISE  OF  THE  ALABAMA  AND  THE  SUMTER. 

longing,  after  a  confinement  on  board  of  more  than  three  months, 
to  find  the  foot  once  more  planted  on  solid  ground.  Some  of  the 
other  officers,  however,  explored  the  island,  which  they  found  a 
barren  place  enough  ;  the  three  herdsmen,  who  constitute  the  en 
tire  population  of  the  country,  maintaining  themselves  after  a 
fashion,  by  rearing  a  few  goats.  They  must,  indeed,  lead  a  life  of 
privation,  the  island  producing  scarcely  anything;  and  even  the 
water  supply  being  extremely  scanty,  and  so  brackish  as  to  be 
hardly  fit  for  human  use. 

Although  to-day  is  the  Sabbath — writes  Captain  Semmes,  in  his 
journal  of  the  following  day — I  did  not  consider  it  any  violation 
of  Christian  duty  to  continue  coaling,  as  we  are  liable  to  be  sur 
prised  at  any  moment,  and  to  have  our  purpose  defeated. 

So,  too,  thought  the  Alabama's  crew,  who  worked  cheerfully  on 
throughout  the  day,  completing  their  task  by  half-past  eleven  on 
the  Monday  morning.  The  Alabama  had  now  on  board  about  285 
tons,  nearly  200  tons  having  been  received  from  the  Agrippina. 
Estimating  her  ^consumption  at  sixteen  tons  a  day,  which  would 
give  a  moderate  rate  of  steaming,  she  had,  therefore,  in  her  bunk 
ers  fuel  for  about  eighteen  days. 

This  important  matter  arranged,  the  next  thing  to  be  done  was 
to  send  down  the  mainyard,  which  had  been  carried  away  in  the 
cyclone,  and  roughly  fished  together,  and  to  supply  its  place  with 
the  second  new  spar  taken  from  the  ship  T.  B.  Wales.  This 
occupied  the  greater  portion  of  the  25th,  and  Captain  Semmes 
then  proceeded  to  "  break  out"  the  hold,  for  the  purpose  of  taking 
stock  of  his  provisions,  no  opportunity  having  yet  offered,  since 
the  hurried  shipment  of  stores  off  Terceira,  to  ascertain  the  pre 
cise  amount  in  hand  of  salted  provisions,  and  other  necessaries. 
Latches  of  liberty-men  were  also  sent  on  shore  to  recruit  them 
selves  with  a  run  upon  terra  firma — an  amusement  in  which  such 
of  the  officers  as  could  be  spared  were  but  too  glad  to  join. 

Wednesday,  the  26th  November,  saw  all  these  arrangements 
completed,  and  the  last  batch  of  liberty- men  safely  on  board  again 
after  their  run.  The  Alabama  was  now  ready  for  a  fresh  cruise, 
but  before  taking  leave  of  Blanquilla,  there  was  an  act  of  justice 
to  be  done.  Accordingly,  that  afternoon  a  court-martial  was  sum 
moned  for  the  trial  of  George  Forrest,  the  seaman  who  had  origi 
nally  deserted  from  the  Surnter,  and  who,  on  his  recapture,  had 
been  sentenced  to  serve  out  his  time,  forfeiting  all  pay,  prize- 
money,  <fcc.  His  present  offence  was  that  of  endeavouring  to 
incite  the  crew  to  mutiny,  and  of  procuring  with  that  object  the 
liquor  with  which  the  rioters  of  the  18th  November  had  been 
made  intoxicated. 


CRUISE  OF  THE  ALABAMA  AND  THE  SUMTER.   139* 

The  case  was  clearly  proved,  and  after  some  consultation  judg 
ment  was  passed,  sentencing  him  to  lose  all  prize-money,  and  to  be 
dismissed  the  ship  in  disgrace.  At  a  quarter  past  seven  in  the 
evening,  all  hands  were  mustered  art  to  hear  the  sentence  read  ; 
and  alter  a  short  but  effective  address  from  Captain  Semmes,  the 
prisoner  was  informed  that  he  was  now  dismissed  the  Confederate 
service  with  the  stain  of  infamy  upon  him,  and  bundled  over  the 
side  into  the  boat  that  was  to  convey  him  to  the  shore. 

This  ceremony  over,  and  the  ship  rid  of  the  incorrigible  scoun 
drel  who  had  so  long  disgraced  her,  the  men  were  dismissed,  and 
preparations  made  for  the  Alabama's  departure.  She  had  been 
already  preceded  by  the  Agrippina,  three  of  whose  hands  had 
volunteered  in  exchange  for  three  from  the  steamer,  and  on  the 
return  of  the  boat  no  time  was  lost  in  getting  her  under  way. 
The  captain  and  mate  of  the  Yankee  schooner  were  released,  and 
the  Alabama  stood  out  to  sea  under  easy  sail. 


CHAPTER  XX. 

At  sea  again — Moulded  into  shape — House-cleaning — Rates  of  pay — A 
timely  capture — The  Parker  Cook — A  fix — A  good  nig  Ms  rest— Sang 
froid — Amid  jessamine  bowers — Looking  out  for  a  rich  prize-^~The 
Afina — "  In  consequence  of  the  Alabama." 

THE  Alabama  was  now  on  the  look-out  for  a  Californian  steamer, 
and  it  was  quite  possible  that  in  so  doing  she  might  run  into  a 
fight.  However,  should  that  be  the  case,  there  would  be  no  dis 
position  to  shirk  it.  The  vessel  was  already  three  months  in 
commission  ;  and  though  some  of  her  crew  had  no  doubt  been 
originally  a  rough  lot — the  boys  especially  picked  up  in  the  streets 
of  Liverpool,  being  designated  by  Captain  Semmes  as  most  incor 
rigible  young  rascals — three  months  of  steady,  strong-handed 
discipline  had  done  wonders  in  reducing  these  rough  elements  to 
order,  and  making  out  of  a  set  of  merchant  sailors,  gathered  here 
and  there  at  random  by  the  prospect  of  high  pay  and  stirring 
adventure,  as  orderly  and  well-trained  a  crew  as  could  be  found  on 
board  many  a  man-of-war  of  twice  her  length  of  service. 

All  hands,  then,  were  ready  and  eager  for  a  brush  with  the 
enemy.  It  was  necessary,  of  course,  that  the  relative  strength  of 
the  two  ships  should  not  be  too  disproportionate  ;  but  the  approach 
of  an  United  States  ship  of  anything  like  their  own  force  would 
have  been  hailed  with  delight  by  all  on  board. 


140*        CRUISE   OF  THE   ALABAMA  AND  THE  SUMTER. 

Considerable  excitement  was  occasioned  when,  on  the  second 
day  after  leaving  Blanquilla,  a  prospect  of  an  encounter  seemed  to 
present  itself.  It  was  still  early  morning  when  a  sail  was  reported 
on  the  lee  bow,  and  soon  the  stranger  was  made  out  to  be  a  large 
side-wheel  steamer,  barque-rigged,  and  standing  towards  the 
Alabama.  She  was  of  considerably  superior  size,  but  it  was 
determined  at  least  to  see  what  she  was  made  of;  and  the  Alabama 
was  luffed  to  the  wind,  while  preparations  were  made  for  lowering 
her  propeller  and  getting  her  under  steam.  It  was  soon  perceived, 
however,  that  the  stranger  was  keeping  quietly  on  her  course, 
without  paying  the  slightest  attention  to  these  manoeuvres ;  and 
as  it  was  pretty  certain  that  no  enemy's  ship,  so  greatly  superior 
in  size,  would  lose  so  tempting  an  opportunity,  it  was  at  once  clear 
that  she  must  needs  be  a  neutral,  probably  some  French  war- 
steamer  bound  for  Martinique.  So  the  propeller  was  left  where  it 
was,  and  the  Alabama  slipt  away  again  upon  her  course. 

At  nine  o'clock  the  same  morning,  the  coast  of  Porto  Rico  was 
in  sight,  and  a  few  hours  afterwards  the  Alabama  entered  the 
Mona  Passage,  shortening  sail  as  she  did  so  to  permit  a  barque  to 
run  up  with  her  for  the  purpose  of  ascertaining  her  nationality. 
The  barque,  which  proved  to  be  English,  dipped  her  ensign  as  she 
passed  to  the  Stars  and  Stripes  which  were  flying  from  the  peak 
of  the  Alabama;  but  the  compliment  not  being  really  intended 
for  the  Confederate  vessel,  but  for  her  enemies,  was,  of  course,  not 
returned. 

The  Mona  Passage  being  the  regular  track  of  United  States 
commerce,  it  was  looked  upon  as  almost  a  certainty  that  at  least 
one  cruiser  would  be  stationed  for  its  protection.  A  bright  look 
out,  therefore,  was  kept,  and  hopes  again  ran  high  of  a  speedy 
brush  with  the  Yankees.  Nothing,  however,  appeared ;  and  the 
attention  of  the  Alabama  was  for  the  most  part  devoted  through 
out  the  day  to  strictly  domestic  affairs. 

To-day — says  Captain  Semmes,  in  his  journal — has  been  a  great 
"house-cleaning"  day  with  the  first  lieutenant,  who,  regardless  of 
Mona  Passages,  strange  sails,  &c.,  is  busy  with  his  holy-stones  and 
sand.  *  *  * 

Gave  an  order  to  the  paymaster  to-day,  authorising  him  to  pay 
the  increased  rates  agreed  upon  with  the  crew  off  Terceira,  viz. 

£      s.         Dollars. 

Master-at-arms  .  per  month  6       0  —    29-04 

Yeoman          .  „  60  —    29'04: 

Ship's  steward  .  „  60  —    29-04 

Ship's  corporal  .  „  5     10  —    26-63 

Armorer         .  60  —    20  04 


CRUISE   OF  THE   ALABAMA  AND  THE  SUMTER.        141* 


Ship's  cook 

Chief  boatswain's  mate 

Second       ditto 

Gunner's  mate 

Carpenter's  mate 

Sailmaker's  mate 

Quartermaster 

Quarter  gunners 

Cockswains 

Capt.  of.  forecastle 

Capt.  of  top 

Capt.  of  aftguard 

Capt.  of  hold 

Cabin  steward 

Ward-room  steward 

Seamen 

0.  seamen      . 

Landsmen       . 


per  month 


£ 

s. 

Dollars. 

5 

10  — 

26-62 

6 

0  — 

29-04 

5 

10  — 

26-62 

6 

0  — 

29-04 

6 

0  — 

29-04 

6 

10  — 

2662 

5 

10  — 

26-62 

5 

10  — 

26-62 

5 

10  — 

2662 

5 

10  — 

26-62 

5 

0  — 

24-20 

5 

0  — 

24-20 

5 

0  — 

24-20 

5 

0  — 

24-20 

5 

0  — 

24-20 

4 

10  — 

21-78 

4 

0  — 

19-36 

3 

10  — 

14-94 

a 

0  — 

9-68 

7 

0  — 

33-88 

5 

0  — 

24-20 

Firemen 
Trimmers 


Sunday,  November  30th. — Mustered  and  inspected  the  crew. 
At  9  A.M.,  sent  a  boat  on  board  of  a  Spanish  schooner  twenty 
days  from  Boston,  bound  to  the  port  of  San  Domingo.  Received 
some  newspapers  by  her  as  late  as  to  the  13th  inst.  Soon  after 
wards  another  sail  was  discovered  to  leeward,  beating  up  the  coast. 
Ran  down  for  her,  and  when  within  proper  distance  hoisted  United 
States  colours.  The  stranger  responded  with  the  same ;  where 
upon,  in  accordance  with  our  usual  practice,  we  hoisted  our  own 
colours  and  fired  a  blank  cartridge.  This  hove  her  to,  when  we 
sent  a  boat  on  board  of  her.  She  proved  to  be  the  barque  Parker 
Cook,  of  and  from  Boston,  bound  to  Cayes.  This  was  a  very 
timely  capture,  as  we  were  running  very  short  of  provisions,  and 
the  prize  was  provision-laden.  Got  on  board  from  her  a  quantity 
of  pork,  cheese,  crackers,  &c. ;  and  at  10  P.M.  illuminated  the 
shores  of  San  Domingo  with  a  flambeau  furnished  by  wicked  men 
who  would  gladly  see  another  San  Domingo  revolution  in  our 
unhappy  country. 

In  the  afternoon  the  weather  became  angry,  and  the  wind  blew 
fresh,  raising  a  considerable  sea.  As  we  were  in  the  bight  of  Sa- 
mana,  I  felt  a  little  uneasy  about  drifting  too  near  the  shore. 
These  are  some  of  the  anxieties  of  a  commander  that  his  officers 
scarcely  ever  know  anything  about.  Our  prize  was  burned  off 
Cape  Raphael.  I  did  not  turn  in  until  near  midnight ;  was  called 
two  hours  afterwards,  upon  having  run  a  prescribed  distance; 
turned  in  again,  and  had  just  fallen  comfortably  asleep,  when  the 


142*      CRUISE   OF  THE  ALABAMA  AND  THE  SUMTER. 

officer  of  the  deck  came  down  in  great  haste  to  inform  me  that  a 
large  ship  was  standing  down  directly  for  us.  We  were  hove  to, 
and  as  the  moon  had  gone  down,  and  the  night  was  dark,  I  knew 
she  mast  be  close  aboard  of  us.  I  immediately  ordered  the  main- 
topsail  to  be  filled,  and  hurrying  on  a  few  clothes,  sprang  on  deck. 
At  a  glance  I  saw  that  the  danger  was  passed,  as  the  intruder  was 
abaft  the  beam,  running  to  leeward.  Wore  round  and  followed  him. 

Monday,  December  1st. — A  stiff  trade,  with  squall  clouds.  A 
whirlwind  passed  near  us.  We  had  just  time  to  take  in  the  port 
studding  sails,  which  had  been  set  in  chase  of  the  unwelcome  dis 
turber  of  my  rest  last  night.  The  chase  proved  to  be  a  Spanish 
hermaphrodite  brig.  *  *  *  *  Land  in  sight  on  the  port 
beam,  and  at  noon  the  cape  just  ahead. 

Tuesday,  December  2nd.  *  *  *  *  Running  down  the  land. 
Off  the  Grange  at  noon.  Last  night,  at  ten  o'clock,  a  sail  was  re 
ported  on  the  port  quarter,  nearly  astern,  running  down  before  the 
wind  like  ourselves.  Having  lights  up,  and  looming  up  large,  I 
called  all  hands  to  quarters  and  cleared  the  ship  for  action,  pivot 
ing  on  the  port  side,  and  loading  the  guns.  As  the  stranger 
ranged  up  nearly  abeam  of  us,  distant  about  eight  hundred  yards, 
we  discovered  him  to  be  a  heavy  steamer,  under  steam,  and  with 
all  studding  sails  set  on  both  sides.  Here  was  a  fix  !  We  had  no 
steam  ourselves,  and  our  propeller  was  triced  up! 

A  few  minutes,  however,  decided  our  suspense.  From  the  quiet 
movement  of  the  steamer  on  her  course,  without  shortening  sail,  or 
otherwise,  so  far  as  we  could  see,  making  preparation  for  battle,  it 
was  quite  evident  that  he  was  not  an  enemy.  He  was  a  ship  of 
war — probably  a  Spaniard,  bound  from  San  Domingo  to  Cuba. 
My  first  intention  was  to  range  up  alongside  and  speak  him,  and 
for  this  purpose  I  set  the  foresail  and  topgallant  sails.  But  we 
were  soon  left  far  astern,  and  the  stranger  was  out  of  sight  long 
before  we  could  have  got  up  steam  and  lowered  the  propeller  in 
chase. 

About  3  P.M.  made  the  island  of  Tortuga.  A  sail  reported  on 
the  starboard  bow,  standing  across  our  bows  on  the  port  tack. 
Through  the  stupidity  of  the  look-outs  the  next  tiling  we  knew 
was  that  she  was  off  on  the  starboard  quarter,  and  to  windward 
of  us,  she  having  been  on  the  starboard  tack  all  the  while !  I 
turned  in  to-night,  hoping  to  get  some  rest,  as  I  had  been  up  the 
greater  part  of  last  night.  But  after  undressing,  and  before  getting 
into  my  cot  (10  P.M.),  the  officer  of  the  deck  came  below  in  a 
great  hurry  to  say  there  was  a  large  vessel  running  down  on  us — 
we  were  hove  to— which  appeared  to  be  a  steamer.  Immediately 
ordered  the  officer  to  fill  away ;  went  on  deck,  and  at  a  glance 


CRUISE   OF  THE   ALABAMA  AND   THE   SUMTER.        143* 

perceived  that  the  sail  was  a  brig  running  clear  of  us,  and  some 
distance  astern. 

Went  below  again,  and  this  time  succeeded  in  actually  getting 
into  bed,  when  I  was  again  aroused  by  the  announcement  that  a 
vessel,  with  very  white  canvas,  was  running  down  upon  us,  a  little 
forward  of  our  weather  beam.  Went  on  deck,  rilled  away  again, 
and  ran  on  under  easy  sail  to  assist  the  stranger's  approach.  The 
night  squally,  with  showers  of  rain,  and  the  wind  fresh.  At  1.30 
A.M.  the  stranger  approached,  and  we  spoke  him.  He  was  a  small 
schooner — white,  as  almost  all  the  West  Indian  schooners  are — 
Spanish,  <fcc.  Turned  in  at  two  o'clock,  and  at  daybreak  down 
came  intelligence  again  that  there  were  two  sail  in  sight,  and  at  7 
A.M.,  one  of  them  being  within  signal  distance,  I  had  again  to  turn 
out.  This  night  will  serve  as  a  specimen  of  a  great  many  spent 
by  me  in  my  cruises. 

Wednesday,  December  3rd. — We  are  cruising  to-day,  with  the 
weather  very  fine  and  clear,  in  the  passage  between  San  Domingo 
and  Cuba.  Caused  two  neutral  vessels  to  show  their  colours,  and 
at  noon  squared  away  for  the  east  end  of  Cuba.  Where  can  all 
the  enemy's  cruisers  be,  that  the  important  passages  we  have  lately 
passed  through  are  all  left  unguarded  ?  They  are  off,  I  suppose,  in 
chase  of  the  Alabama! 

At  10  P.M.  a  barque,  having  come  quite  near  us  in  the  bright 
moonlight,  we  fired  a  blank  cartridge  to  heave  him  to,  and  wore 
ship.  As  he  disregarded  our  signal,  I  directed  a  round  shot  to  be 
fired  at  him  above  his  hull.  This  had  the  desired  effect,  our  shot 
passing — as  we  learned  from  him  afterwards — between  his  fore- 
stay  and  foremast.  He  proved  to  be  the  French  barque,  Feu  Sa- 
cre,  from  Port  au  Prince  to  Falmouth.*  When  asked  why  he  did 
not  heave  to  at  the  first  shot,  he  replied  that  he  was  a  Frenchman, 
and  was  not  at  war  with  anybody  !  *  *  *  At  midnight  made 
the  light  on  Cape  Maise. 

Thursday,  December  4th. —  *  *  *  *  Standing  off  and  on 
Cape  Maise,  waiting  for  our  Californian  friend,  who  should  have 
left  Aspinwall  on  the  1st,  and  should  pass  this  point  to-day  or  to 
night.  Fires  banked,  so  as  to  give  us  steam  at  a  short  notice.  Seve 
ral  sail  passing  during  the  day.  Exercised  the  crew  at  the  battery 
at  sunset.  A  beautiful  bright  night,  with  .the  wind  somewhat  too 
fresh  from  the  N.E.  Lying  to  oft'  Cape  Maise.  Everybody  on  the 
tiptoe  of  excitement,  and  a  good  many  volunteer  look-outs.  As  for 

*  From  the  boarding  officer's  memoranda  it  appears  that  the  master  of 
this  vessel  protested  vehemently  against  being  annoyed  by  United  States 
vessels — the  Alabama  passing  in  this  case  as  the  U.  S.  ship  Wyoming. 


144       CRUISE   OF  THE   ALABAMA   AND  THE   SUMTER. 

eagerly  and  nervously  one  watches  the  shifting  clouds  near  noon, 
and  how  remorsely  they  sometimes  close  up  their  dense  masses 
jtist  at  the  critical  moment,  shutting  out  from  us  the  narrowly- 
watched  face  of  the  sun  !  One  is  foolish  enough  sometimes  almost 
to  feel  a  momentary  resentment  against  inanimate  nature — weak 
mortals  that  we  are ! 

The  gale  has  drifted  us  so  far  to  leeward  that  the  wind  from  its 
present  quarter  will  no  longer  permit  us  to  "lay  through"  the 
Yucatan  passage,  so  at  2  P.M.  we  tacked  to  the  southward  and 
eastward.  Weather  still  thick  in  the  afternoon,  with  light  rain  at . 
intervals.  We  had  a  very  ugly  sea  lashing  us  this  morning — the 
ship  rolling  so  heavily  as  to  awaken  me  frequently,  though  I  sleep 
in  a  swinging  cot;  and  the  water  swashing  over  the  decks,  and 
rushing  by  bucketsful  down  the  companion-way,  which  we  are 
obliged  to  keep  open  to  avoid  being  smothered. 

Friday,  December  19th. — The  gale  continues  with  the  tenacity 
of  a  norther,  this  being  the  third  day.  This  is  but  a  foretaste  of 
the  weather  we  may  expect  in  the  Gulf  of  Mexico.  Being  now  in 
the  Gulf  of  Honduras,  there  is  but  a  small  strip  of  land  between  us 
and  it. 

Saturday,  December  *2Qth. — As  ugly  a  day  as  one  often  sees, 
with  a  great  variety  of  wind  and  weather.  In  the  morning  the 
wind  was  fresh  from  the  N.E.,  with  flying  clouds,  and  a  bright 
sun,  now  and  then  obscured.  At  about  9  A.M.  a  cloud  bank  in 
the  north  began  to  rise,  and  by  11.30  we  had  a  densely  overcast 
sky,  with  heavy  rain-squalls.  I  was  running  for  Cape  Catoche, 
and  was  greatly  disappointed  at  not  getting  a  meridian  altitude, 
especially  after  the  promise  of  the  morning.  At  about  11.30 
made  the  land — two  islands,  as  described  by  the  man  at  the  mast 
head.  At  4  P.M.  sounded  in  twenty-eight  fathoms.  Weather 
threatening  a  gale.  At  six,  double-reefed  the  topsails,  and  sound 
ed  in  twenty-five  fathoms.  1  shall  endeavour  to  feel  my  way 
around  the  Cape,  and  gradually  bear  up  for  the  westward.  The 
bank  is  apparently  clean  and  safe,  but  still  groping  one's  way  in 
the  dark  in  strange  waters  is  a  somewhat  nervous  operation. 

Sunday,  December  2lst. — We  doubled  Cape  Catoche  very  suc 
cessfully  last  night,  hauling  around  it  gradually  in  from  twenty-five 
to  thirty  fathoms,  and  ran  along  in  the  latter  depth  all  night, 
course  W.  and  W.  by  S.,  sounding  every  hour.  The  wind  blew 
half  a  gale,  and  the  weather  looked  threatening.  This  morning 
the  wind  hauled  more  to  the  eastward,  and  moderated  somewhat. 
The  sky  still  looks  wintry,  and  the  sun  sheds  a  lurid  light  through 
a  semi-transparent  stratum  of  dull  grey  clouds.  At  11  A.M.  mus 
tered  tho  crews  and  at  meridian  passed  a  large  steamer  (hull  down) 


CRUISE  OF  THE  ALABAMA  AND  THE  SUMTER.       145 

steering  to  the  eastward,  probably  a  French  ship  of  war  from  Vera 
Cruz. 

Monday,  December  22nd. — Ran  on  during  the  night  in  a  very 
regular  line  of  soundings  of  twenty  fathoms,  on  a  W.S.W.  course. 
At  9  P.M.,  having  run  within  about  tweuty  miles  of  the  Areas, 
anchored  for  the  night  in  twenty  fathoms. 

Tuesday,  December  23rd. — At  9  A.M.  called  all  hands  up  an 
chor,  and  at  ten  we  were  under  way,  steering  W.S.W. ;  at  merid 
ian  observed  six  miles  to  the  northward  of  the  Areas,  and  altered 
course  to  S.W.  At  1.30  P.M.  made  the  Areas  half  a  point  on  the 
starboard-bow,  distant  about  twelve  miles ;  and  at  sunset  came 
to  anchor  in  eleven  fathoms  of  water,  with  the  south  Area  bear 
ing  N.W.  by  N.  In  the  course  of  the  afternoon  our  coal-ship, 
•which  I  had  ordered  to  rendezvous  here,  hove  in  sight,  and  joined 
us  at  the  anchorage  a  few  minutes  after  we  came  to. 

Wednesday,  December  24tk. — In  the  forenoon  went  out  of  the 
harbour,  and  examined  the  entrances  and  anchorage.  The  dan 
gers  are  all  visible,  and  it  is  only  necessary  to  give  a  berth  to  the 
reefs  that  make  off  from  the  points.  There  is  an  inner  reef  mak 
ing  off  to  the  westward  from  the  northern  island  ;  but  it,  like  the 
other,  is  visible,  and  there  is  no  danger  whatever  in  approaching 
it.  The  Areas  are  three  low  keys,  lying  in  a  triangle  ;  the  north 
ern  key  being  the  largest.  We  found  a  hut  on  this  latter  key,  a 
boat  hauled  up  on  the  island,  a  net  inside  the  hut,  a  boiler  or  two 
for  trying  out  oil,  and  other  evidences  of  the  inhabitancy  of  fish 
ermen  or  turtlers ;  but  this  not  being  the  season  for  these  pur 
suits,  everything  had  apparently  been  abandoned  for  some  time. 
Numerous  birds  of  the  gull  species  were  the  only  living  things 
found  in  the  island,  and  of  these  there  were  varieties  of  old  birds 
and  their  fledglings,  and  some  of  the  former  were  still  laying  and 
sitting.  They  seemed  to  have  no  fear  of  our  men,  and  suffered 
themselves  to  be  caught  by  the  hand,  and  knocked  on  tTie  head 
with  sticks.  The  vegetation  found  was  on  the  larger  island,  and 
on  that  it  consisted  of  a  dense  carpeting  of  sea-kale — not  a  shrub 
of  any  kind.  In  the  transparent  waters  on  the  inner  reef,  a  great 
variety  of  the  living  coral  was  found  in  all  its  beauty,  imitating 
the  growth  of  the  forest  on  a  small  scale.  At  P.M.  we  got 
under  way,  and  stood  in  and  anchored  under  the  s^uth  side  of  the 
larger  island  in  nine  fathoms,  and  moored  ship  with  an  open 
hawse  to  the  north. 

We  entered  by  the  S.E.  passage  between  the  south  and  the 
north  islands.  The  barque  followed  us,  coming  in  by  the  S.W. 
passage  between  the  south  and  the  west  islands,  and  anchored  a 
little  to  the  S.E.  of  us.  Our  anchorage  is  open  to  the  S.E.,  but  at 

7* 


146        CRUISE   OF   THE   ALABAMA   AND   THE   SUMTEK. 

this  season  it  does  not  blow  from  that  quarter,  and  probably 
would  not  bring  in  much  sea  if  it  did.  We  feel  very  comfortable 
to-night  in  snug  berth. 

Thursday \  December  25th. — Christmas-day  ! — the  second  Christ 
mas  since  we  left  our  homes  in  the  Sumter.  Last  year  we  were 
buffeting  the  storms  of  the  North  Atlantic,  near  the  Azores  ;  now 
we  are  snugly  anchored  in  the  Areas :  and  how  many  eventful 
periods  have  passed  in  the  interval  !  Our  poor  people  have  been 
terribly  pressed  in  this  wicked  and  ruthless  war,  and  they  have 
borne  privations  and  sufferings  which  nothing  but  an  intense  pat 
riotism  could  have  sustained.  They  will  live  in  history  as  a  people 
worthy  to  be  free ;  and  future  generations  will  be  astonished  at 
the  folly  and  fanaticism,  wickedness  and  want  of  principle,  devel 
oped  by  this  war  among  the  Puritan  population  of  the  North. 
And  in  this  class  may  nine-tenths  of  the  native  population  of  the 
Northern  States  be  placed,  to  such  an  extent  has  the  "Plymouth 
Rock"  leaven  "  leavened  the  whole  lump."  A  people  so  devoid 
of  Christian  charity,  and  wanting  in  so  many  of  the  essentials  of 
honesty,  cannot  but  be  abandoned  to  their  own  folly  by  a  just  and 
benevolent  God. 

Our  crew  is  keeping  Christmas  by  a  run  on  shore,  which  they 
all  seem  to  enjoy  exceedingly.  It  is,  indeed,  very  grateful  to  the 
senses  to  ramble  about  over  even  so  confined  a  space  as  the  Areas, 
after  tossing  about  at  sea  in  a  continued  state  of  excitement  for 
months.  Yesterday  was  the  first  time  I  touched  the  shore  since  I 
left  Liverpool  on  the  1 8th  August  last,  and  I  was  only  one  week 
in  Liverpool  after  a  voyage  of  three  weeks  from  the  Bahamas ;  so 
that  I  have  in  fact  been  but  one  week  on  shore  in  five  months. 
My  thoughts  naturally  turn  on  this  quiet  Christmas-day,  in  this 
lonely  island,  to  my  dear  family.  I  can  only  hope,  and  trust  them 
to  the  protection  of  a  merciful  Providence.  The  only  sign  of  a 
holiday  on  board  to-night  is  the  usual  "  splicing  of  the  main-brace" 
— Anglicd,  giving  Jack  an  extra  allowance  of  grog. 

Friday,  December  26th. — *  *  *  Weather  fine,  but  the  barometer 
has  gone  down  the  tenth  of  an  inch  to  day,  and  is  now  (7  P.M.) 
29.96.  I  shall  begin  to  look  for  a  norther  in  about  twenty-four 
hours.  We  commenced  caulking  our  leaky  decks  to-day,  and 
despatched  the  launch  to  assist  in  ballasting  the  barque.  I  strolled 
on  the  island!  to-day,  and  amused  myself  searching  tor  shells  along 
the  beach.  There  are  some  very  pretty  diminutive  shells  to  be 
found,  similar  to  those  on  the  Florida  coast ;  but  none  of  a  larger 
size  than  the  common  *'  conch,"  of  which  there  are  a  few.  We 
have  made  free  with  the  turtle  nets  of  the  fishermen  found  in  the 
lints,  and  have  set  them.  As  yet,  we  have  only  caught  two  or  three 


CRUISE   OF  THE   ALABAMA   AND   THE   SUMTER.       147 

small  turtle.  I  landed  on  the  south  island  to-day,  where  they  are 
getting  off  ballast.  This  islet  is  occupied  exclusively  by  the  black 
man-of-war  bird ;  whilst  the  north  islet  seems  to  be  divided  be 
tween  the  white  gannel  (with  the  lower  edges  of  its  wings  black) 
and  the  black  warrior ;  the  colonies  being  quite  distinct.  The 
birds  are  still  laying  and  incubating. 

Saturday,  December  27th. — The  barometer  has  risen  again,  and 
the  weather  still  continues  fine.  Ballasting  the  barque,  and  over 
hauling  and  setting  up  our  topmast  and  lower  rigging,  and  caulk 
ing  decks.  Took  a  stroll  in  the  north  island  towards  sunset.  It  is 
dull  recreation  after  the  novelty  has  worn  off,  with  the  somewhat 
tough  walking  through  the  sand,  and  the  smell  and  filth  of  the 
clouds  of  gannet. 

Sunday,  December  28th. — Weather  cloudy,  with  the  wind  from 
the  N.E.  At  8.30  descried  a  schooner  from  aloft  iu  the  N.W.,  the 
first  sail  we  have  seen,  and  quite  an  unexpected  sight  at  this  season 
of  the  year.  After  we  had  armed  and  manned  the  cutter,  to 
board  the  sail  when  it  should  heave  in  sight  from  the  deck,  it  was 
ascertained  that  the  look  out  had  been  deceived,  and  that  the  sup 
posed  sail  was  probably  a  cloud  in  the  horizon,  it  having  suddenly 
disappeared. 

At  11  A.  M.  mustered  the  crew  and  inspected  the  ship.  A  quiet 
Sabbath.  Strolled  on  the  island  towards  sunset,  with  the  gannets 
for  companions,  the  surf  for  music,  and  the  heavy  sand  for  a  prom 
enade.  The  weather  cleared  at  nightfall,  with  the  breeze  fresh 
from  the  N.N.E.  Some  of  the  men  are  getting  tired  of  their  hard 
service ;  the  chief  boats wain's-mate  having  applied  to  return  to 
England  in  the  barque.  Refused  him  permission,  of  course.  Con 
stant  cruising,  vigilance  against  being  surprised  by  the  enemy, 
salt  provisions,  and  a  deprivation  of  the  pleasures  of  port,  so 
dear  to  the  heart  of  a  seaman,  are  probably  whnt  most  of  them 
did  not  expect.  A  tight  rein  and  plenty  of  work  will  cure  the 
evil. 

Monday,  December  29th. — Weather  clear  and  fine.  At  day 
light  hauled  the  barque  alongside,  and  commenced  coaling.  An 
other  seaman  got  drunk  to-day,  and  seized  his  bag  to  go  on  board 
the  barque  to  return  to  England.  Confined  him  in  double  irons. 
Many  of  my  fellows  no  doubt  thought  they  were  shipping  in  a 
sort  of  privateer,  where  they  would  have  a  jolly  good  time  and 
plenty  of  license.  They  have  been  wofully  disappointed,  for  I 
have  jerked  them  down  with  a  strong  hand,  and  now  have  a  well- 
disciplined  ship  of  war,  punishment  invariably  follows  immediately 
on  the  heels  of  the  offence.  It  has  taken  me  three  or  four  months 
to  accomplish  this,  but  when  it  is  considered  that  my  little  king- 


148      CRUISE   OF  THE  ALABAMA   AND  THE  SUMTER. 

% 

dom  consisted  of  one  hundred  and  ten  of  the  most  reckless  from 
the  grogg^eries  of  Liverpool,  this  is  not  much. 

Tuesday,  December  3Qtk. —  The  weather  still  continues  re 
markably  fine,  with  a  moderate  breeze  from  the  E.S.E.  We 
finished  coaling  to-day,  and  hauled  the  barque  off  in  the  after 
noon.  Getting  ready  generally  for  our  dash  at  the  enemy's 
coasts ;  or  rather,  at  the  enemy  on  our  own  coasts,  of  which  he  is 
in  possession.  A  brig  hove  in  sight  to-day  to  the  S.  and  E.,  ap 
proaching  the  islands  on  the  starboard  tack,  until  she  became 
visible  from  the  bridge,  and  then  tacking — probably  a  French 
man,  making  way  from  Vera  Cruz  to  the  eastward  on  the  banks. 
Took  my  usual  afternoon  stroll  on  shore.  About  nightfall,  the 
sky  assumes  a  peculiarly  lurid  aspect,  becoming  dark  overhead, 
whilst  the  western  horizon  is  lighted  up  with  the  rays  of  the  set 
ting  sun,  although  there  is  not  a  cloud  visible.  One  witnessing 
such  a  scene  elsewhere  would  fancy  himself  on  the  eve  of  a  storm  ; 
I  attribute  it  to  the  reflection  from  the  green  waters  of  the  bank. 
We  have  cleared  away  all  the  old  eggs  from  the  gannets'  nests, 
and  these  prolific  layers  are  now  supplying  us  with  fresh.  Of  fish 
we  can  catch  none,  except  by  trolling.  We  have  no  better  success 
with  our  turtle  nets. 

Wednesday,  December  31st. — The  weather  has  been  good  all 
day,  though  we  have  had  a  heavy  surf  on  all  the  reefs,  indicating 
that  there  is  a  gale  somewhere  in  our  vicinity — probably  a  norther, 
along  the  Mexican  coast  to  the  west  of  us.  The  wind  is  at  N.N.E. 
and  moderate,  and  the  barometer  has  been  rising  all  day,  though 
it  has  not  been  a  tenth  below  30.21  ;  it  is  now  (4  P.M.)  30.15,  so 
we  shall  probably  not  feel  the  gale  here. 

Thursday,  January  1st. — The  first  day  of  the  new  year. 
What  will  it  bring  forth  ?  The  Almighty  for  a  wise  purpose  hides 
future  events  from  the  eyes  of  mortals,  and  all  we  can  do  is  to  per 
form  well  our  parts,  and  trust  the  rest  to  His  guidance.  Success, 
as  a  general  rule,  attends  him  who  is  vigilant  and  active.  It  is 
useful  to  look  back  on  the  first  day  of  the  new  year  and  see  how 
we  have  spent  the  past;  what  errors  we  have  committed,  and  of 
what  faults  we  have  been  guilty,  that  we  may  in  the  future  avoid 
*the  one  and  reform  the  other. 

Although  the  wind  blew  pretty  fresh  during  the  past  night,  we 
did  not  feel  the  gale  in  any  force ;  and  to-day  it  has  moderated, 
and  the  weather  become  fine  again.  Still  caulking  and  painting. 
The  former  seems  to  be  an  interminable  job  with  our  small  gang 
of  caulkers.  In  the  afternoon  a  brig  approached  the  island,  near 
enough  to  be  seen,  hull  up,  from  the  deck.  She  was  beating  up 
the  bank  to  the  eastward  •  probably  from  Vera  Cruz. 


CRUISE   OF   THE   ALABAMA   AND   THE   SUMTER.       149 

Friday,  January  2nd. — The  wind  has  been  fresh  all  day  from 
the  eastward,  bringing  in  some  sea,  and  as  we  have  been  riding 
across  the  tide,  the  ship  has  had  some  motion.  Caulking  and 
painting,  tarring  down  and  squaring  ratlines,  &c.  Commenced 
condensing  water  to  supply  the  barque  for  her  return  voyage  to 
England.  I  must  get  to  sea  on  Tuesday,  though  I  fear  we  shall 
not  have  finished  caulking ;  but  Banks1  expedition  must  be  assemb 
ling  off  Galveston,  and  time  is  of  importance  to  us  if  we  would 
strike  a  blow  at  it  before  it  is  all  landed.  My  men  will  rebel  a  little 
yet.  I  was  obliged  to-day  to  trice  one  of  them  up  for  a  little  in 
solent  behaviour. 

Saturday,  January  3d. — A  gale  opened  after  all  from  the  S.E., 
which  I  had  hoped  to  escape,  so  rare  is  it  to  have  blows  from  this 
quarter  at  this  season  of  the  year.  We  have  veered  to  forty-five 
fathoms  on  each  chain,  and  are  in  six  fathoms  water  astern  (there 
being  nine  where  the  anchors  are),  and  are  tailing  directly  on  the 
surf,  with  a  few  hundred  feet  only  between  us  and  it,  which  of 
course  makes  me  feel  a  little  solicitude.  We  are  open  to  the  S.E. 
winds,  though  these  blow  over  the  bank  from  landwards.  Still 
the  water  is  deep  and  the  land  distant,  and  a  considerable  sea  comes 
in.  I  have  ordered  the  fires  to  be  lighted  under  another  boiler  to 
guard  against  accidents.  The  Areas  are  a  dirty  little  anchorage 
fur  large  ships,  being  but  an  open  roadstead,  affording  good  shelter 
only  from  the  north.  There  is  a  very  small  basin  between  the  two 
reefs,  running  off  from  the  northern  island,  fit  for  very  small  ves 
sels,  where  they  could  be  made  secure  against  northerly  and  south 
erly  winds;  but  everywhere  they  would  be  exposed  more  or  less 
to  wind  from  the  westward. 

Sunday,  January  4th. — Weather  clear,  with  the  wind  fresh 
from  the  S.  E.,  dying  away  in  the  afternoon.  Having  determined 
to  get  to  sea  this  evening,  we  commenced  getting  our  coal-bags  on 
board  from  the  barque,  omitting  the  usual  Sunday  muster.  Busy 
with  the  seamen,  as  usual  on  such  occasions,  sending  home  their 
allotments,  <fec.  The  weather  begins  to  portend  a  norther,  so  I 
have  directed  the  engineer  to  hold  on  with  his  steam  for  the  pres 
ent. 

Monday,  January  5th. — It  did  not  blow  last  night  as  I  expected. 
This  morning  the  wind  has  gone  round  again.  I  cannot  wait 
longer  for  the  norther,*  so  I  must  get  under -way.  At  11  A.M. 

*  One  of  the  officers  of  the  Alabama  enters  in  his  journal  that  on  this 
day,  in  anticipation  of  news  being  received  of  Lincoln's  proclamation,  a 
tombstone,  consisting  of  a  board  about  four  feet  in  length  and  two  in 
breadth,  was  sent  on  shore  and  placed  in  the  most  prominent  position  the 
largest  island  afforded.  Inscribed  on  the  tombstone,  in  black  letters  on  a 


150       CRUISE   OF   THE   ALABAMA   AND   THE   SUMTER. 

got  under  way,  and  stood  out  from  the  anchorage  under  steam. 
Let  the  steam  go  down,  hoisted  the  propeller,  and  put  the  ship 
under  sail. 


CHAPTER  XXIII. 

Another  mission — General  Banks*  expedition — To  Galveston — Sun 
day  the  \\th  of  January — A  small  mistake — Preparing  for  action 
— The  Hatteras — A  fight  in  the  dark — Sharp  and  decisive — Sur 
render — Rescue  of  the  crew — Sunk! — Casualties — Out  of  the  hor 
net's  nest. 

CONTRARY  to  her  usual  aspirations,  the  principal  wish  of  the  Ala 
bama,  as  she  started  on  this  fresh  cruise,  was  to  reach  her  destina 
tion  without  having  seen  a  single  vessel.  She  was  now  in  fact  on 
a  service  of  a  kind  altogether  different  from  that  which  had  yet 
occupied  her.  In  his  address  to  the  crew,  upon  taking  command 
off  Terceira,  Captain  Sernmes  had  promised  that  the  first  moment 
they  were  in  a  condition  of  training  and  discipline,  to  enable  them 
to  encounter  the  enemy,  they  should  have  an  opportunity  of  doing 
so.  That  time  had  come,  and  laying  aside  for  a  short  period  her 
more  especial  rdle  of  annihilating  as  rapidly  as  possible  the  ene 
my's  commerce,  the  Alabama  set  steadily  out  in  search  of  a 
fight. 

The  grand  expedition  of  General  Banks,  which  had  been  the 
subject  of  so  much  speculation  in  the  United  States,  and  of  which 
their  newspapers  had  long  before  duly  informed  the  Confederate 
cruiser,  seemed  to  offer  the  most  favourable  opportunity  possible 
for  such  an  enterprise.  The  expedition  would,  of  course,  be  ac 
companied  by  one  or  more  armed  vessels,  but  the  principal  por 
tion  of  it  would  be  composed  of  troop-ships,  crowded  with  the  ene 
my's  soldiers ;  and  should  the  Alabama  but  prove  victorious  in 
the  fight,  these  transports  would  be  a  prize  of  more  practical  im- 

white  ground,  was  the  following : — "  In  memory  of  Abraham  Lincoln, 
President  of  the  late  United  States,  who  died  of  nigger  on  the  brain,  1st 
January,  1863." — "No.  290."  Upon  a  piece  of  paper,  protected  from  the 
weather,  was  written  in  Spanish — "  Will  the  finder  kindly  favour  me  by 
forwarding  this  tablet  to  the  United  States  Consul,  at  the  first  point  he 
touches  at  ?"  This  affair  originated  with,  and  wag  executed  by,  the  steer 
age  officers. 


CRUISE   OF  THE   ALABAMA  AND   THE  SUMTER.        151 

portance  than  all  the  grain  and  all  the  oil  ever  carried  in  a  mer 
chantman's  hold. 

It  was  a  daring  adventure  certainly.  To  steer,  with  a  solitary 
light-armed  sloop,  close  upon  a  coast,  blockaded  from  north  to 
south,  by  hundreds  of  armed  vessels,  in  deliberate  quest  of  a 
squadron,  not  improbably  four  or  five  times  stronger  than  herself, 
was  an  act  of  almost  reckless  hardihood,  fully  in  keeping  with  the 
rest  of  the  Alabama's  career.  The  event  indeed  proved  the  full 
danger  of  the  adventure  ;  whilst,  at  the  same  time,  nothing  could 
have  more  clearly  showed  how  utterly  groundless  were  the  das 
tardly  imputations  upon  the  courage  and  prowess  of  her  crew, 
poured  out  daily  from  the  foul-mouthed  organs  of  the  Northern 
press.  There  could  be  no  question  of  the  fighting  qualities,  or 
disposition,  of  the  Confederate  cruiser,  after  such  a,  test  as  this. 

For  five  days  the  Alabama  kept  steadily  on  her  course  for  Gal- 
veston,  where  she  expected  to  find  the  fleet  of  which  she  was.  in 
search.  At  length,  on  Sunday,  the  llth  January — her  a  lucky 
day" — the  moment  so  anxiously  looked  for  came. 

Our  position  at  noon — writes  Captain  Semmes — put  us  just 
within  thirty  miles  of  Galvestou,  and  I  stood  on,  intending  either 
just  to  sight  the  shipping  at  a  great  distance,  without  beiug  seen 
myself,  or  else  to  anchor  just  out  of  sight  until  the  moon  should 
rise  the  following  night,  which  would  be  about  half-past  eleven, 
and  then  run  in,  and  attack,  as  I  hoped,  "  Banks'  expedition." 
Owing,  however,  to  a  little  carelessness  in  the  look-out  at  "  mast 
head,"  we  were  permitted  to  approach  the  ships  anchored  off  the 
bar  in  such  plain  sight,  before  they  were  announced,  that  we  were 
discovered,  although  we  tacked  immediately  and  stood  off,  in  the 
hopes  of  eluding  the  vigilance  of  the  enemy. 

There  were  three  ships  found  lying  off  the  bar — one  heavily- 
sparred  ship,  which  our  look-out  took  for  a  sail  frigate,  but  which 
afterwards  proved  to  be  the  Brooklyn  steamer,  our  old  friend  that 
chased  us  in  the  Sumter,  and  two  steamers  supposed  to  be  propel 
lers.  Very  soon  one  of  the  steamers  was  seen  to  be  getting  up 
steam,  and  in  about  an  hour  and  a  half  afterwards  she  was  report 
ed  to  be  under  weigh,  standing  out  for  us. 

I  lowered  the  propeller,  and  directed  steam  to  be  got  in  readi 
ness,  and  awaited  the  approach  of  the  stranger,  who  overhauled  us 
very  slowly,  and  seemed  to  reconnoitre  us,  as  he  came  along,  with 
great  caution. 

All  this  time  we  were  standing  on  under  topsails  away  from  the 
bar,  and  the  stranger  was  approaching  us  stern  on.  I  gave  my 
ship  a  little  motion  with  the  engine  occasionally,  both  to  draw  the 


152       CRUISE   OF  THE  ALABAMA   AND  THE  SUMTER. 

enemy — for  I,  of  course,  supposed  him  to  be  such — away  from  his 
consorts,  so  that  in  case  of  a  conflict  the  latter  might  not  hear  our 
guns,  and  to  prolong  the  time  until  dark  to  enable  me  to  take  in 
my  topsails,  and  close  with  him  in  so  short  a  time  that  the  move 
ment  should  not  be  noticed  by  him  until  too  late  to  escape,  which 
I  feared  he  might  attempt,  if  he  saw  me  turn  upon  him  with  the 
intention  of  pursuing  him. 

Accordingly,  soon  after  dark — the  enemy  in  the  meantime 
having  approached  us  so  near  as  not  to  endanger  our  losing  sight 
of  him — i  clewed  up,  and  furled  the  topsails,  beat  to  quarters,  and 
doubled  suddenly  upon  the  stranger.  He  came  in  quite  boldly, 
and  when  within  hailing  distance  of  us,  hailed  us,  and  inquired  — 

"What  ship  is  that?" 

'**  Her  Majesty's  ship  Petrel.     What  ship's  that  ?" 

To  this  inquiry  there  was  no  reply,  and  although  we  repeated 
it  several  times  there  was  no  rejoinder. 

During  the  colloquy,  I  endeavoured  to  place  myself  in  a  raking 
position  astern  of  him,  which  he  as  carefully  avoided  by  keeping 
his  broadside  to  .me.  From  this  manoauvre  I  knew  him  pretty 
certainly  to  be  an  enemy,  and  having  approached  to  within  about 
two  hundred  yards,  I  directed  my  First  Lieutenant  to  repeat  the 
question.  "What  ship's  that?"  was  accordingly  again  shouted, 
and  this  time  there  was  a  reply. 

We  distinctly  heard  that  he  was  an  United  States  something  or 
other,  but  the  name  we  could  not  make  out.  I  then  directed  the 
First  Lieutenant  to  tell  him  that  this  was  the  Confederate  States 
steamer  Alabama,  and  to  open  fire  on  him  immediately,  which  we 
did  from  our  starboard  battery.  He  returned  our  fire  in  a  minute 
or  two,  and  the  action  was  thus  commenced. 

We  continued  to  run  side  by  side  at  a  distance  ranging  from 
two  to  five  hundred  yards,  both  of  us  keeping  up  a  rapid  fire  of 
both  artillery  and  rifles,  when,  after  the  lapse  of  thirteen  minutes, 
the  enemy  fired  two  guns  from  his  off,  or  starboard  side,  and 
showed  a  light  above  his  deck  in  token  of  his  being  whipped. 

At  once  we  ceased  firing,  and  approaching  him  still  nearer, 
asked  him  if  he  surrendered  and  needed  assistance.  To  both  of 
these  questions  he  replied  in  the  affirmative,  and  we  immediately 
despatched  our  quarter  boats  to  him ;  these,  with  his  own  four 
boats,  were  busily  employed  in  transporting  the  crew  on  board, 
which  had  only  been  accomplished  when  the  ship  went  down.* 

*  United  States  Consulate,  Kingston, 

Jamaica,  Jan.,  21, 1S6& 
SIB,— It  IB  my  painful  duty  to  inform  the  Department  of  the  destructioa 


CRUISE  OF  THE  ALABAMA  AND  THE  SUMTER.       153 

The  prize  proved  to  be  the  "United  States  gunboat  Hatteras, 
Lieut.-Commanding  H.  C.  Blake,  which  officer  came  OH  board 
after  his  crew  had  been  transported,  and  delivered  up  his  sword. 
I  said  to  him  : — 

4t  I  am  glad  to  see  you  on  board  the  Alabama,  and  we  will 
endeavour  to  make  your  time  as  comfortable  as  possible." 

of  the  United  States  steamer  Hatteras,  recently  under  my  command,  by 
the  rebel  steamer  Alabama,  on  the  night  of  the  llth  instant,  off  the  coast 
of  Texas.  The  circumstances  of  the  disaster  are  as  follows: — 

Upon  the  afternoon  of  the  llth  inst.,  at  2.30  P.M.,  while  at  anchor  in 
company  with  the  fleet  under  Commodore  Bell,  off  Galveston,  Texas,  I 
was  ordered  by  signal  from  the  United  States  flag-ship  Brooklyn  to  chase 
a  sail  to  the  southward  and  eastward.  I  got  under  weigh  immediately, 
and  steamed  with  all  speed  in  the  direction  indicated.  After  some  time, 
the  strange  sail  could  be  seen  from  the  Hatteras,  and  was  ascertained  to 
be  a  steamer,  which  fact  I  communicated  to  the  flag-ship  by  signal.  I 
continued  the  chase,  and  rapidly  gained  upon  the  suspicions  vessel. 
Knowing  the  slow  rate  of  speed  of  the  Hatteras;  I  at  once  suspected  that 
deception  was  being  practised,  and  hence  ordered-  the  ship  to  be  cleared 
for  action,  with  everything  in  readiness  for  a  determined  attack  and  a 
vigorous  defence. 

When  within  about  four  miles  of  the  vessel,  I  observed  that  she  had 
ceased  to  steam,  and  was  lying  broadside  and  awaiting  us.  It  was  nearly 
seven  o'clock,  and  quite  dark  ;  but. notwithstanding  the  obscurity  of  the 
night,  I  felt  assured,  from  the  general  character  of  the  vessel  and  her 
manoeuvres,  that  I  should  soon  encounter  the  rebel  steamer  Alabama. 
Being  able  to  work  but  four  guns  on  the  side  of  the  Hatteras — two  short 
32-pounders,  one  30-pounder  rifled  Parrot  gun,  and  one  20  pounder  rifled 
gun — I  concluded  to  close  with  her  that  my  guns  might  be  effective,  if 
necessary. 

I  came  within  easy  speaking  range — about  seventy-five  yards — and 
upon  asking  "  What  steamer  is  that?"  received  the  answer,  "Her  Bri 
tannic  Majesty's  ship  Petrel."  I  replied  that  I  would  send  a  boat  aboard, 
and  immediately  gave  the  order.  In  the  meantime  the  vessels  were 
changing  positions,  the  stranger  endeavouring  to  gain  a  desirable  position 
for  a  raking  tire.  Almost  simultaneously  with  the  piping  away  of  the 
boat  the  strange  craft  again  replied,  "  We  are  the  Confederate  steamer 
Alabama,"  which  was  accompanied  with  a  broadside.  I  at  the  same 
moment  returned  the  fire.  Being  well  aware  of  the  many  vulnerable 
points  of  the  Hatteras,  I  hoped,  by  closing  with  the  Alabama,  to  be  able 
to  board  her,  and  thus  rid  the  seas  of  the  piratical  craft.  I  steamed  di 
rectly  for  the  Alabama,  but  she  was  enabled  by  her  great  speed  and  the 
foulness  of  the  bottom  of  the  Hatteras,  and  consequently  her  diminished 
speed,  to  thwart  my  attempt  when  I  had  gained  a  distance  of  but  thirty 
yards  from  her.  At  this  range  musket  and  pistol  shots  were  exchanged. 
The  firing  continued  with  great  vigour  on  both  sides.  At  length  a  shell 
entered  amidships  in  the  hold,  setting  fire  to  it,  and  at  the  same  instant — 
as  I  can  hardly  divide  the  time  — a  shell  passed  through  the  sick  bay, -ex 
ploding  in  an  adjoining  compartment,  also  producing  fire.  Another 
entered  the  cylinder,  filling  the  engine-room  and  deck  with  steam,  and 
depriving  me  of  my  power  to  manoeuvre  the  vessel,  or  to  work  the  pumps, 
upon  which  the  reduction  of  the  fire  depended. 


154       CRUISE   OF  THE  ALABAMA  AND  THE   SUMTER. 

The  Hatteras  had  the  following  armament,  viz.  : — 32-pounders 
of  27  cwt.,  4  ;  30-pounders,  rifled,  2  ;  20-pounders,  rifled,  1  ;  12- 
pounders,  howitzer,  1  :  total,  8. 

The  armament  of  the  Alabama  was  : — 32-pounders  of  52  cwt., 
6;  100-pounders,  rifled,  1;  24-pounders,  rifled,  1;  8-inch  shell 
gun,  1 :  total,  9. 

With  the  vessel  on  fire  in  two  places,  and  beyond  human  power,  a 
hopeless  wreck  upon  the  waters,  with  her  walking-beam  shot  away,  and 
her  engine  rendered  useless,  I  still  maintained  an  active  fire,  with  the 
double  hope  of  disabling  the  Alabama  and  attracting  the  attention  of  the 
fleet  off  Galveston,  which  was  only  twenty-eight  miles  distant. 

It  was  soon  reported  to  me  that  the  shells  had  entered  the  Hatteras  at 
the  water-line,  tearing  off  entire  sheets  of  iron,  and  that  the  water  was 
rushing  in,  utterly  defying  every  attempt  to  remedy  the  evil,  and  that 
she  was  rapidly  sinking.  Learning  the  melancholy  truth,  and  observing 
that  the  Alabama  was  on  my  port  bow,  entirely  beyond  the  range  of  my 
guns,  doubtless  preparing  for  a  raking  fire  of  the  deck,  I  felt  I  had  no 
right  to  sacrifice  uselessly,  and  without  any  desirable  result,  the  lives  of 
all  under  my  command. 

To  prevent  the  blowing  up  of  the  Hatteras  from  the  fire,  which  was 
making  much  progress,  I  ordered  the  magazine  to  be  flooded,  and  after 
wards  a  lee  gun  was  fired.  The  Alabama  then  asked  if  assistance  was  de 
sired,  to  which  an  affirmative  answer  was  given. 

The  Hatteras  was  then  going  down,  and  in  order  to  save  the  lives  of  my 
officers  and  men,  I  caused  the  armament  on  4,he  port  side  to  be  thrown 
overboard.  Had  I  not  done  so,  I  am  confident  the  vessel  would  have 
gone  down  with  many  brave  hearts  and  valuable  lives.  After  consider 
able  delay,  caused  by  the  report  that  a  steamer  was  seen  coming  from 
Galveston,  the  Alabama  sent  us  assistance  ;  and  I  have  the  pleasure  of 
informing  the  Department  that  every  living  being  was  conveyed  safely 
from  the  Hatteras  to  the  Alabama. 

Two  minutes  after  leaving  the  Hatteras,  she  went  down,  bow  first, 
with  her  pennant  at  the  mast  bead,  with  all  her  muskets  and  stores  of 
every  description,  the  enemy  not  being  able,  owing  to  her  rapid  sinking, 
to  obtain  a  single  weapon. 

The  battery  upon  the  Alabama  brought  into  action  against  the  Hat 
teras  numbered  nine  guns,  consisting  of  six  long  32-pounders,  one  100- 
pounder,  one  68-pounder.  and  one  24-pounder  rifled  gun.  The  great 
superiority  of  the  Alabama,  with  her  powerful  battery,  and  her  machinery 
under  the  water-line,  must  be  at  once  recognized  by  the  Department,  who 
are  familiar  with  the  construction  of  the  Hatteras,  and  her  total  unfitness 
for  a  conflict  with  a  regular  built  vessel  of  war. 

The  distance  between  the  Hatteras  and  the  Alabama  during  the  action 
varied  from  twenty-five  to  one  hundred  yards.  Nearly  fifty  shots  were 
fired  from  the  Hatteras,  and  I  presume  a  greater  number  from  the  Ala 
bama. 

I  desire  to  refer  to  the  efficient  and  active  manner  in  which  Acting- 
master  Porter,  executive  officer,  performed  his  duty.  The  conduct  of  the 
Assistant-surgeon.  Edward  S.  Matthews,  both  during  the  action  and  after 
wards,  in  attending  to  the  wounded,  demands  my  unqualified  commend 
ation.  I  would  also  bring  to  the  favourable  notice  of  the  Department 
Acting-master's  mate  McGrath,  temporarily  performing  duty  as  gunner. 


CRUISE   OF  THE  ALABAMA   AND  THE   SUMTER.        155 

A  great  disparity  in  weight  of  metal  in  our  power ;  but  we 
equalized  this  to  a  considerable  extent  by  the  fair  fight  which  we 
showed  the  enemy  in  approaching  him  so  very  close  as  to  render 
his  small  guns  almost  a<$  efficient  as  larger  ones. 

The  tonnage  of  the  Hatteras  was  eleven  hundred  tons ;  mate 
rial,  iron,  with  watertight  compartments  ;  age,  eighteen  months. 
Her  crew  numbered  a  hundred  and  eight  men,  and  eighteen  offi 
cers  ;  our  own  numbering  a  hundred  and  eleven  men,  and  twenty- 
six  officers. 

The  casualties  on  both  sides  were  slight.  On  board  the  enemy 
two  were  missing  (firemen),  supposed  to  have  been  killed  in  the 
fire-room,  and  three  wounded,  one  of  them  severely,  and  two 
slightly.  On  board  ourselves,  only  two  slightly  wounded. 

After  the  action  had  been  over  an  hour  or  more,  and  whilst  I 
was  steaming  off  on  my  course,  it  was  reported  to  me  that  a  boat 
of  the  enemy,  containing  an  acting  master  and  five  men,  which 
had  been  lowered  before  we  opened  fire  upon  him,  to  board  "Her 
Majesty's  steamer  Petrel,"  had  escaped.  As  the  sea  was  smooth 
and  the  wind  blowing  gently  towards  the  shore,  distant  only  about 
nineteen  miles,  this  boat  probably  reached  the  shore  in  safety  in 
five  or  six  hours.  The  night  was  clear  and  starlit,  and  it  would, 
have  no  difficulty  in  shaping  its  course.  But  for  these  circum 
stances,  I  should  have  turned  back  to  look  for  it,  hopeless  as  this 
task  must  have  proved  in  the  dark.  The  weather  continued  mod 
erate  all  night,  and  the  wind  to  blow  on  shore. 

It  was  ascertained  that  Galveston  had  been  retaken  by  us,  and 

Owing  to  the  darkness  of  the  night  and  the  peculiar  construction  of  the 
Hatteras,  lam  only  able  to  refer  to  the  conduct  of  those  officers  who  came 
under  my  especial  attention  ;  but  from  the  character  of  the  contest,  and 
the  amount  of  damage  done  to  the  Alabama,  I  have  personally  no  reason 
to  believe  that  any  officer  failed  in  his  duty. 

To  the  men  of  the  Hatteras  I  cannot  give  too  much  praise.  Their 
enthusiasm  and  bravery  were  of  the  highest  order. 

I  enclose  the  report  of  Assistant-surgeon  E.  S.  Matthews,  by  which  you 
will  observe  that  five  men  were  woimded  and  two  killed.  The  missing,  it 
is  hoped,  reached  the  fleet  at  Galveston. 

I  shall  communicate  to  the  Department,  in  a  separate  report,  the  move 
ments  of  myself  and  my  command  from  the  time  of  our  transfer  to  the 
Alabama  until  the  departure  of  the  earliest  mail  from  this  place  to  the 
United  States. 

I  am,  very  respectfully,  your  obedient  servant, 

H.  C.  BLAKE, 
Lieutenant  Commanding. 
Hon.  Gideon  Welles,  Secretary  of  the  Navy,  Washington.  f 

For  a  further  account  of  this  action  from  the  journal  of  one  of  the  jun 
ior  officers,  see  Appendix. 


156        CRUISE   OF  THE   ALABAMA   AND   THE   SUMTER. 

that  the  Brooklyn  and  four  of  the  enemy's  steam-sloops  were  off 
the  port,  awaiting  a  reinforcement  of  three  other  ships  from  New 
Orleans  to  cannonade  the  place.  So  there-  was  no  "  Banks'  expe 
dition,"  with  its  transports,  heavily  laden  with  troops,  &c.,  to  be 
attacked,  and  but  for  the  bad  look-out  of  our  man  at  the  mast 
head,  we  should  have  got  instead  into  a  hornet's  nest. 


CHAPTER  XXIV. 

Crowded  with  prisoners — Chasing  a  friend — At  Jamaica — Enthusias 
tic  reception — Rest  on  shore — Speech  making —  Up  anchor  ! — A 
prize — Case  of  the  Golden  Rule — Reinstating  the  discipline — Cap 
ture  of  the  Chastelain — San  Domingo — The  Palmetto — Men  of  the 
day  in  the  United  States. 

THE  Alabama's  little  fighting  holiday  was  over,  and  she  returned 
to  her  appointed  task  of  annoying  the  enemy's  commerce.  Her 
course  lay  towards  Jamaica,  the  captaiu  being  anxious  to  relieve 
himself  as  soon  as  possible  of  the  nest  of  prisoners  that  crowded 
his  decks,  and  were  necessarily  the  occasion  of  considerable  incon 
venience  to  both  men  and  officers.  The  latter  especially  were 
most  uncomfortably  crowded,  the  captain  setting  the  example  of 
self-sacrifice,  by  giving  up  his  state-room  for  the  benefit  of  Lieuten 
ant  Blake,  Commander  of  the  sunken  Hatteras. 

It  may  be  supposed  that,  under  these  circumstances,  the  Alaba 
ma  was  not  very  anxious  to  increase  the  number  of  her  involuntary 
passengers.  Still  duty  was  duty,  and  w'hen,  on  the  day  following 
the  engagement,  a  sail  was  reported  from  aloft,  chase  was  at  once 
given,  and  expectation  again  on  tiptoe  at  the  thought  of  a  prize. 
No  prize,  however,  was  to  be  taken  that  day.  At  about  half-past 
two,  the  Alabama  came  within  signal-distance  of  the  chase,  and 
was  already  busy  exchanging  the  usual  information,  when  the 
"  stranger"  barque  was  discovered  to  be  no  other  than  their  old 
friend  and  faithful  tender  the  Agrippina ;  and  the  Alabama  con 
tinued  her  course,  not  a  little  amused  at  her  own  blunder  in  thus 
chasing  her  most  particular  friend. 

Another  week  passed  by  with  no  event  of  interest,  the  Alabama 
working  her  way  towards  Jamaica,  through  a  succession  of  more 
or  less  heavy  gales,  which,  in  the  crowded  state  of  the  ship,  were 
anything  but  comfortable.  On  Jie  20th  January,  she  sighted 


CRUISE   OF   THE   ALABAMA  AND   THE   SUMTER.       157 

land  a  little  before  daybreak,  passing  Portland  at  about  3  P.M.,  and 
arriving  off  the  lighthouse  on  Plum  Point  at  half-past  four.  Here 
French  colours  were  displayed  in  case  of  accident,  and  a  gun  fired 
for  a  pilot.  At  about  half-past  six,  that  important  individual  made 
his  appearance,  and  in  about  three-quarters  of  an  hour^ore  the 
Alabama  was  safely  at  anchor  in  Port  Royal  harbour. 

Wednesday,  January  2lst. — Found  here  several  English  men-of- 
war — the  Jason,  the  Challenger,  the  Greyhound,  <fcc.,  the  Com 
manders  of  all  of  which  called  on  us.  I  saw  the  Commodore 
(Duulop)  this  morning,  and  requested  of  the  Governor  through 
him  permission  to  land  my  prisoners,  &c.,  which  was  readily 
granted.  Made  arrangements  for  coaling  and  provisioning  the 
ship,  and  for  repairing  damages ;  and  in  the  afternoon  ran  up  to 
Kingston,  and  thence  proceeded  to  the  mountains  with  Mr.  Fyfe. 

Thursday,  January  22nd. — Had  a  delightful  ride  over  a  fine, 
natural  McAdamized  road,  for  about  ten  miles,  and  thence  by 
horse  and  bridle-path  through  the  most  picturesque  of  moun 
tainous  regions,  with  its  lovely  valleys,  abrupt  precipices,  streams 
of  water,  luxuriant  foliage,  &c.,  to  Flamstead,  the  residence  of  the 
Rev.  Mr.  Fyfe,  who  soon  returned  from  town  and  received  me  most 
hospitably.*  Spent  a  delightful,  quiet  day,  riding  to  Flamstead, 
and  walking  in  the  afternoon  along  the  winding  mountain  paths. 
Jamaica — that  is,  the  south  side — is  a  wilderness,  and  the  town  of 
Kingston  a  ruin.  The  negro  population  idle,  thriftless,  and  greatly 
subject  to  diseases  of  an  inflammatory  kind.  No  morals — gross 
superstition,  <fec. 

Friday,  January  23rd.  —  Rode  over  to,  and  spent  a  day  and 
night  at,  Blocksburgh,  visiting  en  route  the  English-looking  cottage 
of  Captain  Kent,  now  absent  in  England.  Had  some  lady-visitors 
at  Blocksburgh  in  the  evening. 

Saturday,  January  24th. — Returned  to  town  to-day  by  the 
way  of  Mr.  Mais'  fairy  little  cottage,  kept  in  the  nicest  of  order, 
and  in  a  perfect  picture  of  a  country.  Upon  my  arrival  in  town  I 
found  that  my  friends  had  kindly  put  a  notice  in  the  papers,  in 
forming  the  good  people  that  I  would  be  at  the  Exchange  at  noon, 

*  As  soon  as  our  an-ival  became  known  the  most  intense  excitement 
prevailed.  It  is  impossible  to  describe  the  hospitable  welcome  we  re 
ceived,  every  one  placing  their  houses  at  our  disposal.  Up  to  9  P.M.  visi 
tors  were  constantly  received,  all  expressing  a  most  hearty,  encouraging 
sympathy  for  our  cause,  and  speaking  hopefully  for  our  prospects.  Still 
the  same  enthusiasm  prevails:  visitors  of  each  sex  and  every  class  com 
ing  on  board,  officers  and  men  going  on  shore,  and  receiving  the  most 
flattering  attentions. 


158       CRUISE   OF  THE   ALABAMA   AND   THE  SUMTER. 

&c.,  &c.  Was  obliged  to  go,  and  made  a  speech  to  the  people, 
which  was  well  received.  Returned  on  board  in  the  evening. 

Sunday,  January  25th. — Workmen  still  engaged  trying  to  get 
the  ship  ready  for  sea  to-night.  Returned  my  visits  to  the  Eng 
lish  Captains,  all  of  whom  1  found  very  agreeable.  Settling  the 
ship's  bills,  and  getting  the  drunken  portion  of  my  crew  on  board 
by  aid  of  the  police.  Three  of  them  in  broad  daylight  jumped 
into  a  shore  boat  and  tried  to  escape  ;  but  we  pursued  and  captured 
them.  Work  all  done,  and  fires  lighted  at  5  P.M.,  and  at  half-past 
eight  we  steamed  out  of  the  harbour. 

Monday,  January  26th. — At  10.30  A.M.  descried  a  sail,  which 
we  came  up  with  at  1.20  P.M.  She  proved  to  be  the  Golden  Rule, 
from  New  York  for  Aspinwall.  Captured  and  burned  her,  there 
being  no  certificate  on  board  of  the  neutrality  of  the  cargo.  This 
vessel  had  on  board  masts,  spars,  and  a  complete  set  of  rigging, 
for  the  United  States  brig  Bainbridge,  lately  obliged  to  cut  away 
her  masts  in  a  gale  at  Aspinwall.  Nine  prisoners.  At  about  6 
P.M.,  the  prize  being  well  on  fire,  steamed  on  our  course. 

CASE  OF  THE  GOLDEN  RULE. 

No  certificate  of  the  neutral  ownership  of  any  portion  of  the 
cargo.  The  only  bills  of  lading  found  on  board  are  the  follow 
ing  :— 

Marcial  and  Co.  to  Gregorio  Miro  and  Co.,  2069*28  dollars;  in 
sured  against  war  risk. 

Keeler  and  Vonhiss  to  John  Wilson,  724*20  dollars.  Con 
signed  to  order,  and  for  account  and  risk  of  "  whom  it  may 
concern." 

Woolsey,  consigned  to  order.  Amount  not  stated,  and  no  let 
ter  of  advice. 

Berner  to  Field.     Amount  not  stated,  and  no  letter  of  advice. 

Herques  and  Maseras  to  Juan  Melendez,  41*58  dollars. 

F.  Heurias  to  Gillas.     Amount  not  stated,  and  no  letter. 


.  The  Golden  Rule  furnished  a  supply  of  papers  containing  an 
abundance  of  welcome  news.  From  them  the  Alabama  learned 
of  the  safe  escape  of  her  sister  cruiser,  the  Florida,  from  Mobile,  as 
well  as  of  the  foundering  of  the  United  States  gunboat  Monitor  in 
a  gale,  during  her  passage  down  the  coast.  The  good  news  was 
also  received  of  the  entire  failure  of  an  attack  on  Vicksburg. 

The  time  was  now  pretty  much  taken  up  in  reinstating  the  dis 
cipline  which  had  been  somewhat  shaken  by  the  brief  stay  at  Port 


CRUISE  OF  THE   ALABAMA  AND  THE   SUMTER.        159 

Royal,  and  in  awarding  due  punishment  for  the  various  offences 
there  committed.  On  the  whole,  however,  considering  the  hard 
service  the  men  had  undergone,  and  the  length  of  the  confinement 
they  had  sustained  without  a  single  "spell"  on  shore,  the  offences 
could  not  be  considered  very  numerous.  A  few  of  the  petty  offi 
cers  were  disrated,  and  various  minor  penalties  inflicted,  and  on 
the  31st  of  January  the  court-martial,  which  had  been  employed 
on  this  unpleasant  but  necessary  service,  terminated  its  sittings  and 
was  dissolved. 

Meanwhile  another  prize  had  fallen  into  the  Alabama's  hands, 
in  the  shape  of  the  United  States  brig  Chastelain,  of  Boston,  from 
Martinique  and  Guarlaloupe  for  Cienfuegos;  and  the  following  day, 
after  duly  committing  her  prize  to  the  flames,  the  Alabama  ar 
rived  at  San  Domingo,  dropping  anchor  off  the  town  at  6  P.M. 

Lruthe  harbour  were  two  other  vessels :  one  a  New  York  brig, 
under  English  colours.  The  anchor  had  not  been  long  down 
when  a  visit  was  received  from  the  Captain  of  the  Port,  who 
proved  to  be  an  old  acquaintance  of  Captain  Semmes,  he  having 
piloted  the  brig  Porpoise  about  the  island  at  the  time  when  the 
latter  officer  was  First  Lieutenant  of  that  vessel.  He  seemed  much 
pleased  to  renew  the  acquaintance,  and  volunteered  to  take  on 
shore,  to  the  Governor,  Captain  Semmes'  request  for  permission  to 
land  his  prisoners. 

Soon  he  returned,  bringing  with  him  a  commander  of  the  Span 
ish  navy  with  the  required  permission.  The  prisoners  were  ac 
cordingly  sent  on  shore,  from  whence  they  shortly  returned,  some 
what  crestfallen,  with  the  intelligence  that  no  one  was  allowed  to 
land  after  dark.  The  Captain,  however,  being  anxious  to  depart, 
application  was  made  to  the  authorities,  who  courteously  permitted 
the  prisoners  to  be  sent  for  the  night  to  the  government  vessel, 
undertaking  to  send  them  on  shore  in  the  morning. 

This  matter  was  settled,  the  Alabama  again  stood  out,  having 
thus  displayed  for  the  first  time,  in  San  Domingo,  the  flag  of  the 
young  republic. 

The  only  excitement  of  the  next  few  days  was  an  alarm  of  fire, 
which,  on  the  2nd  of  February,  occasioned  for  a  short  time  very 
considerable  anxiety.  It  came  from  the  carelessness  of  the  captain 
of  the  hold,  who,  in  direct  violation  of  the  written  rules  of  the 
ship,  took  a  naked  light  into  the  spirit-room  to  pump  off  liquor 
by.  The  moment  he  commenced  operations,  the  fumes  of  the 
spirit  took  fire,  placing  the  ship  for  a  few  minutes  in  imminent 
peril.  The  danger,  however,  was  brief,  for  the  captain  happened 
to  be  on  deck  at  the  time,  and  at  once  gave  the  order  to  beat  to 
quarters ;  before  it  could  be  obeyed  the  fire  was  extinguished,  and 


160       CRUISE   OF  THE   ALABAMA   AND   THE   SUMTER. 

the  ship's  company  quitte  pour  la  peur.  Not  so,  however,  the 
delinquent  captain  of  the  hold,  who  was  at  once  sent  to  expiate 
his  fault  in  the  durance  vile  of  a  suit  of  double  irons. 

The  3rd  February  brought  a  small  prize  in  the  United  States 
schooner  Palmetto,  from  New  York  for  St.  John's,  Porto  Rico,  with 
a  mixed  cargo  of  provisions.  She,  too,  laid  claim  to  immunity  on 
the  ground  of  neutrality  of  cargo ;  but  inquiry  soon  led  to  con 
demnation,  aud  after  taking  from  her  a  large  quantity  of  biscuit, 
cheese,  &c.,  the  crew  were  removed  on  board  the  Alabama,  and 
the  schooner  burned. 


CASE  OF  THE  PALMETTO. 

The  schooner  was  U.S.,  per  register  and  flag.  The  cargo  was 
shipped  by  Herques  and  Maseras,  of  New  York,  to  Vincente 
Brothers,  iu  San  Juan,  Porto  Rico.  There  was  no  affidavit  or  cer 
tificate  of  neutral  property  on  b.oard,  and  the  cargo  would  have 
been  condemnable  on  this  ground  alone.  It  being  in  an  enemy's 
ship,  it  is  presumed  to  be  enemy's  property  until  the  contrary  be 
shown  by  proper  evidence  under  oath.  The  Master,  upon  exam 
ination,  testified  that  he  had  no  knowledge  of  the  ownership  of  the 
cargo ;  and  this,  though  he  was  the  agent  and  charterer  of  the 
ship,  as  well  as  Master.  The  correspondence  found  on  board — 
that  is  to  say,  a  letter  from  the  shippers  to  the  consignee — states 
that  the  cargo  is  shipped,  two  thirds  on  account  of  the  consignee, 
and  one  third  on  account  of  the  shippers — the  parties  being  the 
joint  owners  of  the  undivided  cargo  in  these  proportions.  There 
fore,  whatever  may  be  the  general  business-relations  of  the  parties, 
they  are,  quoad  this  shipment,  partners;  and  the  house  in  the 
enemy's  country  having  shipped  the  goods,  the  other  partner's 
share  is  condemnable,  notwithstanding  his  residence  in  a  neutral 
country.  See  3rd  Phillimore,  605 ;  and  the  Vigilantia,  1  Rob., 
pp.  1-14,  19 ;  the  Susa,  ib.,  p.  255. 


Several  days  now  passed  without  adventure  of  any  kind,  the 
monotony  of  alternate  gales  and  calms  being  only  varied  by  the 
receipt  of  a  few  old  newspapers  from  the  schooner  Hero,  of  Yar 
mouth,  N.  S.,  giving  news  of  the  angry  "  resolutions"  passed  by  the 
New  York  Chamber  of  Commerce  with  reference  to  the  Alabama; 
and  also — which  was  of  considerably  more  importance — the  infor 
mation  that  the  Vanderbilt  and  Sacramento  were  both  to  sail 
towards  the  end  of  January,  in  pursuit  of  the  Confederate  cruiser. 

Sunday,  the  15th  February,  dawned  dark  and  gloomy,  the  wind 


CRUISE   OF  THE   ALABAMA  AND  THE  SUMTER.       161 

blowing  nearly  a  whole  gale  from  the  north,  and  the  Alabama 
dashing  along,  with  the  wind  well  abeam,  under  reefed  topsails. 

This  boisterous  Sabbath,  writes  Captain  Semmes,  is  the  second 
anniversary  of  my  resignation  from  the  United  States  navy,  and  of 
course  it  has  called  up  many  reminiscences.  I  have  more  and 
more  reason,  as  time  rolls  on,  to  be  gratified  at  my  prompt  deter 
mination  to  quit  the  service  of  a  corrupt  and  fanatical  majority, 
which  even  then  had  overridden  the  constitution,  and  shown  itself 
in  so  aggressive  and  unscrupulous  a  form  as  to  give  us  just  cause 
of  alarm. 

But  what  shall  we  say  of  its  course  since  ?  If  the  historian 
perform  his  duty  faithfully,  posterity  will  be  amazed  at  the  wick 
edness  and  corruption  of  the  Northern  and  Western  peoples,  and 
will  wonder  by  what  process  such  a  depth  of  infamy  was  reached 
in  so  short  a  time. 

The  secret  lies  here.  The  politicians  had  become  political 
stock-jobbers,  and  the  seekers  *t'  wealth  had  become  usurers  and 
swindlers ;  and  into  these  two  classes^  may  be  divided  nearly  the 
whole  Yankee  population.  Such  is  "  Plymouth  Rock"  in  our  day, 
with  its  Beechers  in  the  pulpit,  and  its  Lincoln  in  the  chair  of 
Washington  !  With  its  Sumners  and  its  Lovejoys  in  Congress, 
and  its  Simmonses  et  id  genus  omne  in  the  contract  market ! 


CHAPTER  XXV. 

Not  easily  baffled — Two  prizes — The  Olive  Jane — The  Golden  Eagle 
—  The  white  ensign  saluted — In  trepidation — Obstinacy — The 
Washington — The  William  Edward — Patience  Rewarded — Case 
of  the  John  S.  Paries. 

MORE  than  a  week  passed  without  the  occurrence  of  any  event 
worthy  of  record.  Saturday,  the  21st  February,  however,  brought 
an  exciting  chase.  By  8  A.  M.  four  vessels  had  been  reported  in 
sight.  The  first  seen  proved  too  far  ahead  and  to  windward,  to 
be  worth  chasing,  and  sail  was  then  made  in  the  direction  of  two 
others,  which  were  observed  to  be  exchanging  signals  with  con 
siderable  diligence.  Their  conversation  ended,  they  parted  com 
pany  and  sailed  off  in  different  directions,  evidently  with  the  ob 
ject  of  distracting  the  attention  of  the  Alabama  which  wa&.now 
in  full  chase 

8 


162       CRUISE   OF  THE   ALABAMA  AND  THE  SUMTER. 

But  the  Alabama  was  not  so  easily  to  be  baffled.  Devoting 
her  attention  first  to  the  vessel  which  appeared  by  her  slower 
rate  of  sailing  to  offer  the  promise  of  an  easier  capture,  she  got 
up  steam  as  she  went  along,  and  the  black  smoke  was  already 
poured  from  her  funnel  and  the  propeller  beginning  to  revolve  as 
she  came  within  hail  of  the  chase.  A  blank  cartridge  was  fired 
as  usual ;  but  the  stranger  kept  doggedly  upon  his  way,  evidently 
determined,  if  he  could  not  escape  himself,  at  all  events  to  do  his 
best  to  increase  the  chances  of  his  consort. 

Even  this  chivalrous  determination,  however,  was  of  no  avail. 
A  second  gun  from  the  pursuer  quickly  followed  upon  thtf  first, 
and  this  time  the  command  was  pointed  by  the  emphatic  accom 
paniment  of  a  round  shot  which  went  whizzing  through  the  rig 
ging  of  the  chase.  Finding  his  enemy  in  earnest,  the  ship  now 
gave  up  the  game,  and  hove  to  with  the  United  States  colours 
at  her  peak.  Putting  a  prize  crew  on  board,  the  Alabama  wore 
round,  and  started  at  full  speed  «n  the  direction  of  the  second 
vessel,  which  was  making  the  best  of  her  way  off,  and  was  by  this 
time  some  fifteen  miles  distant.  The  Alabama  was  now,  however, 
under  a  full  head  of  steam,  flying  through  the  water  at  the  rate 
of  three  to  one  of  the  chase,  and  by  the  end  of  a  couple  of  hours, 
she  also  was  brought  to,  with  the  Stars  and  Stripes  flying,  aud 
her  maintopsail  to  the  mast. 

A  rapid  investigation  of  papers  resulted  in  the  decision  that 
the  claim  of  neutral  ownership  of  the  cargo  was  totally  unsus- 
tained  by  evidence,  and  the  crew  of  the  Olive  Jane*  were  trans 
ferred  to  the  Alabama,  and  the  barque  set  on  fire,  whilst  her  cap 
tor  again  came  round  and  ran  down  to  meet  his  other  prize.  On 
communicating  with  the  prize-master  in  charge  she  proved  to  be 
the  United  States  ship  Golden  Eagle,  from  Howland's  Island  in 
the  Pacific  Ocean  to  Cork  for  orders. 

The  following  particulars  relating  to  these  two  vessels,  are  given 
in  Captain  Semmes'  journal : — 

CASE  OF  THE  OLIVE  JANE. 

Under  United  States  colours  and  register — from  Bordeaux  for 
New  York — cargo  consigned  generally  to  houses  in  New  York, 
with  the  exception  of  five  of  the *  shipments  which  are  consigned 
to  order  ;  but  there  is  no  claim  among  the  papers  of  French  prop 
erty,  even  in  these  latter  shipments,  and  non  constat  but  that  the 
property  is  American,  and  that  the  consignment  on  the  face  of  the 

*  Of  Boston,  from  Bordeaux  to  New  York,  with  a  partial  cargo  of 
French  wines  and  "kuickknuckcriea." 


CRUISE   OF  THE   ALABAMA  AND  THE  SUMTER.       163 

papers  was  made  in  this  manner  to  give  a  semblance  of  French 
ownership,  until  the  property  should  reach  its  destination,  when 
the  real  owner  would  claim  it  under  a  duly-indorsed  bill  of  lad 
ing,  forwarded  to  him  by  steamer.  At  all  events,  the  presumption 
of  law  is,  that  all  property  found  on  board  an  enemy  is  enemy's 
property,  until  the  contrary  be  shown  by  proper  evidence ;  and 
no  evidence  has  been  presented  in  this  case  at  all.  The  master, 
though  quarter  owner  of  the  barque,  and  who,  consequently, 
should  be  well  informed  as  to  her  cargo,  &c.,  knows  nothing,  ex 
cept  that  one  of  the  shippers — a  Frenchman — told  him  that  forty 
casks  of  wine,  worth,  perhaps,  twenty  dollars  per  cask,  belonged 
to  him.  Vessel  and  cargo  condemned. 


CASE  OF  THE  GOLDEN  EAGLE. 

Ship  under  United  States  colours  and  register.  From  San 
Francisco,  via  Howland's  Island,  for  Cork,  laden  with  gnano  by 
the  American  Guano  Company.  Cargo  consigned  to  "  orders." 
There  is  no  question,  therefore,  of  property.  Ship  and  cargo 
condemned. 


On  the  morning  of  the  23rd  February  four  vessels  were  in 
sight;  but  on  overhauling  them  they  one  and  all  proved  to  be 
under  the  protection  of  neutral  flags.  One  of  them,  however — a 
Frenchman  from  Buenos  Ayres  to  Havre — relieved  the  Alabama 
of  two  French  prisoners,  an  artist  and  his  son,  captured  on  board 
one  of  the  late  prizes.  One  of  the  other  vessels — the  Prince  of 
Wales,  from  Melbourne  to  England — dipped  her  ensign  to  the 
Yankee  colours  displayed  from  the  Alabama,  on  which  the  latter, 
unwilling  to  appropriate  a  compliment  intended  for  another, 
lowered  the  Stars  and  Stripes  and  hoisted  her  own  ensign. 
Hardly  had  the  change  been  effected  when  a  bustle  was  observed 
on  board  the  English  vessel,  and  passengers  and  crew  crowded 
on  deck  to  have  a  look  at  the  renowned  Confederate.  The 
formal  compliment  accorded  to  the  flag  first  displayed  was  re 
newed  with  hearty  good-will,  and  this  time  accompanied  by  the 
most  enthusiastic  demonstrations  from  all  on  board,  the  men 
cheering  and  the  ladies  waving  their  handkerchiefs  in  honour  of 
the  gallant  little  cruiser  of  which  they  had  heard  so  much. 

The  next  day,  the  Alabama  being  in  the  vicinity  of  the  cross 
ing  of  the  30th  parallel  by  the  San  Roque  and  India-bound 
United  States  ships,  sail  was  shortened,  and  a  bright  look-out 
kept,  but  until  nearly  sunset  nothing  was  seen ;  and  when,  at 


16i       CRUISE   OF  THE   ALABAMA  AND  THE  SUMTER. 

length,  "  Sail,  ho !"  was  cried,  and  the  Confederate  cruiser  on 
nearing  the  stranger  showed  the  Yankee  colours,  it  was  replied  to 
bv  the  tricolour  of  France.  Again,  at  9  30  P.M.,  when  another 
vessel  was  descried,  there  was  still  no  prize,  although  it  required 
two  cartridges,  a  chase  of  three-quarters  of  an  hour,  and  vociferous 
demands  in  both  English  and  French  to  compel  the  vessel  to 
heave  to.  When,  at  last,  the  Master  obeyed  the  command,  it  was 
discovered  that  the  brig  was  a  Portuguese,  bound  from  Pernam- 
buco  to  Lisbon.  The  officer  despatched  to  overhaul  the  chase 
found,  on  stepping  on  board,  everything  in  the  wildest  confusion, 
and  everybody  so  alarmed,  that  neither  skipper,  mates,  nor  sea 
men  seemed  to  know  what  they  were  about.  So  great,  indeed, 
was  their  trepidation,  that  upon  an  explanation  being  asked  of 
their  strange  conduct,  the  excuse  given  was  that  they  were  too 
frightened  to  heave  to  ! 

The  25th  February  was  a  blank,  only  two  sail  being  seen ;  the 
one  a  Dutchman,  the  other  English.  The  master  of  the  latter 
coolly  asked  the  Alabama  to  take  to  England  a  discharged  British 
seaman,  and  on  the  following  morning  another  master  of  an  Eng 
lish  ship  made  a  similar  request — both  being  met  with  a  refusal. 
On  the  26th,  no  less  than  thirteen  sail  were  sighted  by  the  Ala 
bama,  but  not  one  of  them  displayed  the  Yankee  flag.  The  only 
excitement  of  the  day  was  an  obstinate  Hamburgh  barque,  which 
refused  to  show  colours  until  the  Confederate  cruiser  was  nearly 
upon  her,  and  even  then  a  blank  cartridge  was  required  to  bring 
her  to. 

After  the  large  number  of  neutrals  that  the  Alabama  had  over 
hauled,  came  a  prize.  On  the  morning  of  the  27th  February,  the 
United  States  ship  Washington  was  captured.  The  vessel  was 
the  property  of  the  enemy,  but  as  she  carried  a  cargo  of  guano 
from  the  Chincha  Islands,  on  account  of  the  Peruvian  govern 
ment,  consigned  to  their  agents  at  Antwerp,  the  Washington  was 
released  on  giving  a  ransom  bond  for  50,000  dollars.  The  pris 
oners  on  board  the  Alabama  having  been  transferred  to  the  cap 
ture,  the  two  vessels  parted  company  ;  the  United  States  ship 
going  on  its  course,  rejoicing  that  the  neutral  cargo  she  carried 
had  saved  her  from  a  fiery  end.  Two  days  afier,  another  prize 
was  taken.  On  the  1st  March,  the  Bethia  Thayer,  of  Rockland, 
Maine,  was  overhauled,  and  like  the  Washington,  having  on  board 
guano  the  property  of  the  Peruvian  government,  was  released  on 
a  bond  of  50,000  dollars. 

Shortly  after,  a  suspicious  barque,  with  the  English  flag  at  the 
peak,  hove  in  sight.  Immediately  the  Alabama  set  every  stitch 
of  canvas,  the  stranger  did  the  same,  and  away  the  two  dashed 


CRUISE   OF  THE   ALABAMA   AND   THE   SUMTER.       165 

before  the  fresh  south-wester  that  was  blowing.  The  chase  was 
most  exciting,  and  lasted  seven  hours ;  but  gradually  the  Ala 
bama  overhauled  the  suspicious  craft,  and  at  4.30  P.M.  was  en 
abled  to  signal  it.  The  Confederate  hoisted  the  United  States 
flag,  and  announced  herself  by  an  assumed  name.  The  barque 
replied  that  she  was  the  William  Edward,  from  Bahia,  for  Liver 
pool.  After  some  further  communication,  which  convinced  the 
Alabama  that  the  barque  was  English,  the  cruiser  announced  her 
real  name,  and  permitted  the  William  Edward  to  proceed  on  her 
course.  At  nightfall  another  ship  was  chased,  which,  upon  being 
brought  to,  also  proved  to  be  English,  the  Nile,  bound  from  Ak- 
yab  to  London.  The  master  of  this  vessel  informed  the  boarding- 
officer  that  a  United  States  man-of-war,  supposed  to  be  the  Ino, 
was  in  the  South  Atlantic,  in  eager  search  of  the  Alabama! 

At  daybreak,  on  the  2d  March,  a  sail  was  made  out  through  the 
hazy  atmosphere,  slowly  steering  towards  the  cruiser.  Patiently 
the  Confederate  waited,  as  the  light  wind  from  the  south  bore  the 
stranger  towards  them ;  their  patience,  too,  was  rewarded,  for  at 
6  A.M.,  a  boarding-officer  stepped  on  board  the  ship  John  S. 
Parks,  of  Hallowall,  Maine.  The  skipper,  his  wife,  and  crew, 
were  transferred  to  the  cruiser,  together  with  sundry  stores  and 
provisions ;  and  then,  after  Captain  Semmes  had  carefully  ex 
amined  the  papers  of  the  capture,  the  prize  was  set  fire  to,  making 
Dumber  thirty -five  on  the  list  of  the  Alabama's  successes.  With 
respect  to  the  cargo  of  the  Parks,  there  was  a  plea  of  neutrality 
set  up,  to  which,  as  the  following  extracts  will  show,  Captain 
Semmes  gave  the  fullest  consideration  : — 

CASE  OF  THE  SHIP  JOHN  S.  PARKS. 

Ship  under  U.S.  colours  and  register.  Cargo,  white  pine  lum 
ber,  laden  on  board  at  the  port  of  New  York.  The  cargo  was 
shipped  by  Edward  F.  Davidson,  who  appears,  from  the  statement 
of  the  master,  to  be  a  large  lumber  dealer,  and  is  consigned  to 
Messrs.  Zimmerman,  Faris,  and  Co.,  at  Monte  Video,  or  Buenos 
Ayres.  Annexed  to  the  bill  of  lading  is  what  purports  to  be  an 
affidavit  sworn  to  before  "Pierrepont  Edwards,"  who  signs  himself 
as  "  vice-consul."  Above  his  name  are  the  words,  "  by  the  con 
sul,"  from  which  it  appears  he  professes  to  act  for  the  consul,  and 
not  for  himself  as  '*  vice-consul."  *  The  affiant  is  Joseph  H.  Sny- 

*  Extract  from  a  letter,  captured  on  the  barque  Amazonian,  from  Mr. 
Edward  F.  Davidson  to  Messrs.  Zimmerman,  Faris,  and  Co.,  of  Monte  Vi 
deo: — 

' '  You  will  learn  from  London  of  the  loss  of  the  ship  John  S.  Parks,  and 


166       CRUISE  OF  THE  ALABAMA  AND  THE  SUMTER. 

der,  who  describes  himself  as  of  "128,  Pearl  Street,  New  York." 
He  states  that  the  cargo  was  shipped  by  Edward  F.  Davidson,  "for 
and  on  account  of  John  Fair  and  Co.,  of  London,  <fcc."  First,  as 
to  the  form  of  this  affidavit.  A  vice-consul  is  one  who  acts  in 
place  of  a  consul  when  the  latter  is  absent  from  his  post ;  and 
when  this  is  the  case,  he  signs  himself  as  vice-consul,  and  his  acts 
take  effect  proprio  vigore,  and  not  as  the  acts  of  the  consul — which 
this  act  purports  to  do.  Further,  the  Master  was  unable  to  verify 
this  document,  which,  to  give  it  validity,  he  should  have  been  able 
to  do — he  declaring  that  he  could  not  say  whether  it  was  a  forgery 
or  not  "  Although,  as  has  been  said,  the  ship's  papers  found  on 
board  are  proper  evidence,  yet  they  are  so  only  when  properly 
verified;  for  papers  by  themselves  prove  nothing,  and  are  a  mere 
dead  letter  if  they  are  not  supported  by  the  oaths  of  persons  in  a 
situation  to  give  them  validity."  3rd  Phillimore,  394.  Further, 
"  Valin  sur  POrdonnance"  says,  "II  y  a  plus,  et  parceque  les  pieces 
en  forme  trouvees  abord,  peuvent  encore  avoir  ete  concertees  en 
fraude,  il  a  ete  ordonne  par  arret  de  conseil  du  26  Octobre,  1692, 
que  les  depositions  contraires  des  gens  de  1'equipage  pris,  prevau- 
droient  a  ces  pieces."  The  latter  authority  is  express  to  the  point, 
that  papers  found  on  board  a  ship  are  not  to  be  credited,  if  contra 
dicted  by  the  oath  of  any  of  the  crew,  and  I  take  it  that  an  ina 
bility  to  verify  amounts  to  the  same  thing.  For  if  this  had  been 
a  bond  fide  transaction,  it  was  the  duty  of  the  party  interested  to 
take  the  master  before  the  consul  to  witness  the  taking  of  the 
deposition,  so  that  he  might  verify  "  the  paper,"  if  captured.  But 
why  should  Mr.  Snyder  be  the  party  to  make  this  affidavit  ?  He 
was  not  the  shipper,  but  Davidson,  a  lumber  dealer;  and  David 
son,  who,  if  he  sold  the  lumber  at  all,  must  have  known  to  whom 
he  sold  it,  was  the  proper  person  to  testify  to  the  fact.  Further  : 
•the  master  says  that  Snyder  bought  the  lumber  from  Davidson,  as 
he  was  informed  by  his  (the  master's)  brother,  who  was  the  owner 
of  the  ship.  If  so,  then  Snyder  being  the  owner  of  the  lumber 
(whether  on  his  own  or  foreign  account,  it  matters  not)  was  the 
real  shipper,  and  not  Davidson,  and  the  proper  person  to  consign 
it  to  the  consignees,  either  in  his  own  name,  or  in  the  name  of  his 
principal,  if  he  were  an  agent.  But  the  bill  of  lading,  and  David- 
collection  there  of  insurance  on  her  cargo  :  the  freight  is  insured  here,  at 
the  Great  Western  Company.  They  have  thirty  days,  after  receipt  of  the 
captain's  protest,  to  pay  the  loss  in.  Captain  Cooper  has  arrived  in  Port 
land,  and  gone  to  his  home  at  Hallowall ;  and  the  company  requireacopy 
of  the  protest  made  in  London,  certified  hy  the  Consul,  which  I  have  sent 
for.  In  the  meantime,  I  have  requested  the  captain  to  come  to  this,  aud 
trust  not  to  have  to  wait  receipt  of  the  document  fiom  London." 


CRUISE   OF   THE   ALABAMA   AND   THE   SUMTE$.       167 

son's  letter  to  the  consignees,  show  that  Davidson  was  both  the 
shipper  and  the  consignor.  The  ship  was  also  chartered  by  David 
son,  and  13,000,000  dollars  freight-money  paid  in  advance,  for 
which  Davidson  required  the  owner  of  the  ship  to  secure  him  by  a 
policy  of  insurance  against  both  marine  and  war  risk — the  policy 
made  payable  to  him  (Davidson)  in  case  of  loss.  Two  questions 
arise  upon  that  policy  :  1st — why,  if  the  property  were  bond  fide 
neutral  (the  cargo  itself  was  also  insured  in  London)  the  war  clause 
should  be  inserted?  and,  2nd — why  Davidson  should  make  the 
policy  payable  to  himself?  If  he  advanced  this  freight  money  on 
the  credit  of  the  London  house,  he  had  no  insurable  interest  in  it ; 
and  if  the  lumber  really  belonged  to  the  London  house,  and  was 
going  to  their  partners  or  agents  at  the  port  of  delivery,  why 
should  Davidson  pay  the  freight  in  advance  at  all?  And  if  Sny- 
der  purchased  the  lumber  of  Davidson,  why  should  Snyder  not 
have  made  the  advance  for  his  principal  instead  of  Davidson  ?  The 
conclusion  would  seem  to  be,  that  Davidson  was  shipping  this 
lumber  on  his  own  account  to  agents,  in  whose  hands  he  had  no 
funds  or  credit,  and  as  the  lumber  might  not  be  sold  readily,  the 
ship  could  not  be  paid  her  freight  unless  it  were  paid  in  advance  ? 
Further :  the  ship  had  a  contingent  destination.  She  was  either 
to  go  to  Monte  Video  or  Buenos  Ayres,  as  the  consignees  might 
find  most  advantageous.  This  looks  very  much  like  hunting  for  a 
market.  But  further  still.  Although  Davidson  prepared  a  formal 
letter  of  consignment  to  Zimmerman,  Paris,  and  Co.,  to  accompany 
the  consular  certificate,  he  at  the  same  time  writes  another  letter, 
in  which  he  says,  "  The  cargo  of  John  S.  Parks  I  shall  have  certi 
fied  to  by  the  British  Consul  as  the  property  of  British  subjects. 
You  will  find  it  a  very  good  cargo,  and  should  command  the  high 
est  prices."  How  is  Davidson  interested  in  the  price  which  this 
cargo  will  bring,  if  it  belongs,  as  pretended,  to  the  house  in  Lon 
don  ?  And  if  Davidson  sold  to  Snyder,  and  Snyder  was  the  agent 
of  the  house  in  London,  Davidson  should  have  still  less  concern 
with  it.  In  that  same  letter  in  which  a  general  account  of  recent 
lumber  shipments  is  given,  the  following  remarks  occur : — "  Messrs. 
Harbeck  and  Co.  have  a  new  barque,  Anne  Sherwood,  in  Portland, 
for  which  they  have  picked  up  in  small  lots  a  cargo  of  lumber 
costing  20,000  dollars.  I  have  tried  to  make  an  arrangement  for 
it  to  go  to  you  (on  account  of  John  Fair  and  Co.,  of  London  ?) ; 
but  they  as  yet  only  propose  to  do  so,  you  taking  half-interest  at 
twenty-five  dollars,  and  freight  at  eighteen  dollars,  payable  at 
yours  (port?),  which  is  too  much.  If  I  can  arrange  it  on  any  fair 
terms,  I  will  do  so  for  the  sake  of  keeping  up  your  correspondence 
with  H.  and  Co." 


168        CRUISE   OF  THE  ALABAMA  AND  THE  SUMTER. 

This  letter  would  seem  to  show  that  Zimmerman,  Faris,  and 
Co.  are  favourite  consignees  with  Davidson,  and  that  he  not  only 
consigns  his  own  lumber  to  them  (for  it  must  be  remembered  that 
he  is  a  lumber  dealer)  but  endeavours  to  befriend  them  by  getting 
them  other  consignments.  It  may  be  that  Davidson  in  New 
York,  John  Fair  and  Co.,  in  London,  and  Zimmerman,  Faris,  and 
Co.,  in  Buenos  Ayres,  are  all  connected  in  this  lumber  business, 
and  that  the  trade  is  attempted  to  be  covered  under  the  name  of 
the  London  house  ;  or  it  may  be'  that  Davidson  is  the  sole  owner, 
or  a  joint  owner  with  Zimmerman,  Faris,  and  Co.  In  either  case 
the  property  is  condemnable,  being  shipped  by  the  house  of  trade 
in  the  enemy's  country.  Ship  and  cargo  condemned. 


CHAPTER  XXVI. 

Discomforts  of  life  at  sea — A  stern  chase — Seised — The  Punjaub  ran 
somed — Bain-squalls — A  luxury — The  Morning  Star — Neutral 
cargo — The  Fairhaven — The  Ino  on  the  look-out — The  Charles  If  ill 
— The  Nora — Fire-water — Commercial  morality — The  Louisa 
Hatch — Black  Diamonds — Coaling  at  sea  under  difficulties — Fer 
nando  de  Noronha. 

CAPTAIN  COOPER,  of  the  John  Parks,  and  his  wife  and  two 
nephews,  were  fortunate  in  not  being  condemned  to  a  long  period 
of  captivity.  The  burning  remains  of  his  unlucky  vessel  were 
still  within  sight,  when  an  English  barque  ranged  up  alongside  of 
the  Alabama,  and  an  arrangement  was  soon  effected  with  her  cap 
tain  to  convey  the  whole  party  to  England. 

A  long  interval  now,  with  nothing  but  the  Englishman's  excite 
ment — the  weather — to  break  the  weary  monotony  of  an  eventless 
voyage.  So  far,  however,  as  gales  of  wind  could  offer  a  distrac 
tion,  the  Alabama  had  little  of  which  to  complain,  and  the  vessel 
rolled  and  tumbled  about  in  the  heavy  seas  in  a  manner  which 
sorely  tried  the  endurance  of,  at  all  events,  her  unfortunate  cap 
tain. 

The  gale  still  continues,  writes  Captain  Semmes,  on  the  llth 
March.  Wind  E.N.E.  For  four  days  now  we  have  been  rolling 
and  tumbling  about,  with  the  wind  roaring  day  and  night  through 
the  rigging,  and  rest  more  or  less  disturbed  by  the  motion  of  the 
ship.  Sea-life  is  becoming  more  and  more  distasteful  to  me.  The 


CRUISE   OF   THE   ALABAMA  AND   THE   SUMTER.       169 

fact  is,  I  am  reaching  an  age  when  men  long  for  quiet  and  repose. 
During  the  war  my  services  belong  to  my  country,  and  ease  must 
not  be  thought  of;  but  I  trust  that  the  end  is  not  afar  off.  The 
enemy,  from  many  signs,  is  on  the  point  of  fiual  discomfiture. 
Nay,  a  just  Providence  will  doubtless  punish  the  wicked  fanatics 
who  have  waged  this  cruel  and  unjust  war  upon  us,  in  a  way  to 
warn  and  astonish  the  nations  upon  earth.  Infidelity  and  wicked 
ness  in  every  shape  let  loose  upon  themselves,  must  end  in  total 
destruction.  The  Yankee  States  have  yet  to  go  through  an  ordeal 
they  little  dreamed  of  in  the  beginning  of  their  unholy  crusade 
against  the  Southern  people. 

On  the  12th,  the  vessel  was  within  fourteen  degrees  of  the 
equator,  but  so  cool  did  the  weather  still  continue  that  all  hands 
were  still  wearing  woollen  clothing,  and  sleeping  under  a  couple 
of  blankets.  The  sky  continued  grey  and  overcast,  with  an  occa 
sional  slight  sprinkle  of  rain,  and  a  stiff  breeze.  The  barometer 
falling  steadily  until,  on  the  14th  March,  it  had  reached  as  low  as 
29.96,  about  the  usual  standard  of  the  trade  winds. 

That  night  brought,  however,  a  slight  relief  from  the  long  dull 
ness.  It  was  just  midnight  when  the  startling  cry  of  "Sail,  ho! 
close  aboard !"  was  heard  from  the  lookout ;  and  in  less  than  five 
minutes  the  Alabama  was  within  hailing  distance  of  a  large  ship 
standing  close  on  a  wind  towards  the  northward  and  west 
ward. 

"Ship  ahoy! — what  ship's  that?"  rang  hoarsely  through  the 
speaking-trumpet  from  the  deck  of  the  Alabama.  But  no  answer 
came,  and  the  hail  was  repeated.  Still  no  answer,  the  strange  sail 
keeping  steadily  on  her  course,  regardless  of  every  thing,  her  huge 
hull  towering  up  high  and  dark  as  she  passed  almost  within  har 
pooning  distance  of  the  Alabama,  and  shot  away  again  into  the 
darkness,  like  a  phantom  that  on  being  spoken  to,  had  vanished 
away. 

But  the  Alabama  could  have  brought-to  the  Flying  Dutchman 
himself,  if  he  had  attempted  to  pass  by  without  answering  a  hail. 
"  Hands,  wear  ship !"  was  the  order  before  the  sound  of  the  second 
summons  bad  well  died  away.  Up  went  the  helm,  round  came 
the  Alabama's  head  in  the  direction  in  which  the  stranger  had 
disappeared ;  and  with  the  reefs  shaken  out  of  her  topsails,  away 
she  went  in  chase  like  a  greyhound  after  a  hare. 

By  the  time  sail  was  ma'de,  and  headway  got  on  the  ship,  the 
chase  was  some  three  miles  in  advance,  and  gliding  swiftly  along 
with  a  strong  breeze.  But  though  a  stern  chase  is  proverbially  a 
long  chase,  the  splendid  sailing  qualities  of  the  Alabama  soon  made 
themselves  felt,  and  within  three  hours  after  her  helm  was  put  up, 


170       CRUISE   OF  THE  ALABAMA   AND  THE   SUMTER. 

she  was  within  a  few  hundred  yards  of  the  stranger,  who  now  hove 
to  at  the  first  summons  from  the  cruiser's  bow-guns. 

She  proved  to  be  the  United  States  ship  Punjaub,  of  Boston, 
from  Calcutta  for  London,  and  having  an  English  cargo  on  board, 
as  appeared  from  sworn  affidavits  among  the  papers,  from  the  na 
ture  of  the  voyage — from  one  British  port  to  another — and  from 
the  cargo  of  jute  and  linseed,  she  was  released  on  a  ransom  bond 
for  55,000  dollars,  the  remaining  prisoners  from  the  John  Parks 
being  transferred  to  her  for  passage  home. 

The  21st  March  brought  a  change  of  weather,  with  heavy 
squalls  of  rain.  The  variety  was  greatly  enjoyed  by  all  on  board, 
Captain  Semmes  recording  in  his  journal  his  own  pleasure  at  once 
more  hearing  the  roll  of  the  thunder,  for  the  first  time  for  many 
months,  and  the  delight  with  which  both  officers  and  men  pad 
dled  about  on  the  deck  with  their  bare  feet,  enjoying,  "like  young 
ducks,"  the  first  heavy  rain  they  had  experienced  for  a  considera 
ble  time. 

On  the  morning  of  Monday,  March  23rd,  a  sail  hove  in  sight, 
which,  being  overhauled  about  noon,  was  found  to  be  the  United 
States  ship  Morning  Star,  from  Calcutta  to  London.  This  ship 
also  had  a  neutral  cargo,  duly  vouched  as  such  by  the  proper 
legal  certificates ;  so  she,  too,  was  released  on  ransom  bond.  A 
second  prize,  however,  which  fell  into  the  Alabama's  hands  the 
same  day,  was  less  fortunate.  This  was  the  United  States 
schooner  Kingfisher,  of  Fairhaven,  Massachusetts,  some  months 
out  on  a  whaling  voyage.  It  was  well  for  her  that  she  but  very 
recently  discharged  into  another  vessel  her  second  cargo  of  oil, 
and  could  only,  at  present,  boast  of  some  twenty  barrels,  all  of 
which  were  at  once  consigned  to  the  flames,  together  with  the 
unlucky  vessel. 

The  Kingfisher  brought  a  piece  of  intelligence  which  afforded 
immense  satisfaction  to  all  on  board,  being  of  no  less  a  fact  than 
the  presence  of  the  United  States  sloop  of  war,  Ino,  at  Ascension, 
where  the  Kingfisher  had  left  her  but  a  fortnight  before.  This 
was  the  identical  vessel  that  had  assisted  in  the  piratical  capture 
of  Messrs.  Myers  and  Tunstall,  on  neutral  ground,  scarcely  four 
teen  months  before ;  and  all  hands  were  rejoicing  in  the  prospect 
of  an  early  brush  with  her,  when  the  outrage  then  perpetrated 
might  be  avenged.  Anxious  as  all  were  for  a  fight  on  any  terms, 
there  was  possibly  not  a  vessel  in  the  United  States  navy  they 
would  have  more  gladly  encountered. 

It«was  a  curious  circumstance  connected  with  this  schooner, 
that  her  master  was,  according  to  his  account,  one  of  the  only 
thiee  persons  in  his  native  place,  Fairhaven,  who,  in  the  last  fatal 


CRUISE   OF  THE   ALABAMA  AND  THE  SUMTER.       171 

election  of  a  President  for  the  United  States,  had  voted  for  the 
Southern  candidate,  Breckinridge. 

Two  more  captures  were  made  on  the  following  day  —  one,  the 
ship  Charles  Hill,  of  Boston,  from  Liverpool  to  Monte  Video;  the 
other,  the  ship  Nora,  also  of  Boston,  from  Liverpool  for  Calcutta. 
In  both  cases  the  usual  claim  was  set  up  to  a  neutral  ownership 
of  cargo,  and  as  irsual  on  investigation  proved  to  be  altogether 
unsupported  by  anything  like  real  evidence. 

The  following  are  the  cases : — 

CASE  OF  THE  CHARLES  HILL. 

Ship  under  U.  S.  flag  and  register,  laden  with  salt  (value  in 
Liverpool  six  shillings  per  ton),  under  charter  party  with  H.  E. 
Falk  to  proceed  from  Liverpool  to  Monte  Video  or  Buenos  Ayres. 
No  claim  of  neutral  property  in  the  cargo.  Ship  and  cargo  con 
demned. 


CASE  OF  THE  NORA. 

Ship  under  the  U.  S.  flag;  laden  with  salt,  under  charter  party 
with  W.  N.  de  Mattos,  of  London,  to  proceed  to  Calcutta.  In  the 
bill  of  lading  the  cargo  is  consigned  to  "  order ;"  and  on  the  back 
of  the  bill  is  this  endorsement: — "I  hereby  certify  that  the  salt 
shipped  on  board  the  Nora  is  the  property  of  W.  N.  de  Mattos, 
of  London,  and  that  the  said  W.  N.  de  Mattos  is  a  British  subject, 
and  was  so  at  the  time  of  shipment. 

"(Signed)  H.  E.  FALK, 

"  Agent  for  W.  N.  de  Mattos." 

At  the  bottom  of  the  signature  is  "  R.  C.  Gardner,  Mayor," 
presumed  to  be  intended  for  the  signature  of  the  Mayor  of  Liver 
pool.  As  this  statement  is  not  under  oath,  and  as  there  is  no  seal 
attached  to  it,  it  does  not  even  amount  to  an  ex  .parte  affidavit. 
Vessel  and  cargo  condemned. 


Some  valuable  supplies  were  extracted  from  these  two  ships,  and 
the  prisoners — -one  of  them  a  female — having  been  transferred  to 
the  Alabama,  the  vessels  were  fired  on  the  evening  of  the  day 
after  their  capture.  As  was  but  too  frequently  the  case  in  board 
ing  prizes,  access  was  by  some"  means  obtained  to  their  strong 
liquor,  and  that  evening  saw  a  good  deal  of  drunkenness  on  board 
the  Alabama.  Unfortunately,  the  delinquents  were  but  too  often 


172        CRUISE   OF  THE  ALABAMA  AND   THE  SUMTER. 

some  of  the  best  men  in  the  ship.  They  could  be  trusted  with 
anything  in  the  world  but  rum  or  whisky  ;  but  against  temptation 
of  this  kind  they  were  not  proof,  and  the  duty  of  boarding  offered 
only  too  easy  an  opportunity  of  indulging  this  true  sailor's  taste. 
However,  if  the  prizes  had  their  little  bit  of  revenge  in  thus  creat 
ing  a  temporary  disorder  among  their  captors,  they  in  this  case, 
at  all  events,  more  than  made  up  for  it,  by  contributing  an  acces 
sion  of  half-a-dozen  seamen  to  the  crew,  which,  notwithstanding 

the  discharge  of  the  men  sent  home  in  the ,  was  now  fast 

growing  very  strong. 

The  following  extract  from  a  letter  found  on  board  the  Charles 
Hill  may  throw  some  light  on  the  pretensions  of  that  vessel  at  all 
events,  to  the  protection  of  neutrality  : — 

CAPTAIN  F.  PERCIVAL. 

DEAR  SIR, — I  have  read  your  several  letters  from  Philadelphia. 
As  a  rebel  privateer  has  burned  several  American  ships,  it  may  be 
well  if  you  can  have  your  bills  of  lading  endorsed  as  English  prop 
erty,  and  have  your  cargo  certified  to  by  the  English  Consul,  <fec. 

After  crossing  the  equator  during  the  night  of  the  29th-30th 
March,  the  Alabama  experienced  a  succession  of  calms  and  wet 
weather ;  at  one  time  chasing  a  vessel  in  so  thick  a  mist  that, 
though  not  more  than  a  mile  or  two  ahead,  she  was  more  than 
once  lost  sight  of  for  an  hour  at  a  time.  She  was  still  involved  in 
this  misty,  uncomfortable  weather,  when,  on  the  night  of  the  4th 
April,  she  again  fell  in  with  an  United  States  ship,  the  Louisa 
Hatch,  deeply  laden  with  that,  to  the  Alabama,  most  invaluable 
article — coal.  An  investigation  of  her  papers  gave  the  following 
result : — 

CASE  OF  THE  LOUISA  HATCH. 

Ship,  under  U.S.  colours.  Among  the  papers  is  a  charter 
party,  dated  London,  1st  January,  1863,  executed  between  John 
Pirie  and  Co.,  and  William  Grant,  the  Master,  by  which  the  ship 
was  chartered  to  take  coal  to  Point  de  Galle,  Ceylon,  or  Singa 
pore,  as  ordered,  (fee.  Without  any  assignment  of  this  contract, 
as  far  as  appears,  the  ship  seems  to  have  been  loaded  by  entirely 
new  parties,  to  wit,  by  one  J.  R.  Smith,  who  describes  himself  as 
the  agent  of  H.  Worms,  of  Cardiff.  By  the  bill  of  lading,  the  ship 
is  to  proceed  to  the  Point  de  Galle,  and  there  deliver  the  coal  to 
the  company  of  Messageries  Irnperiales.  On  the  back  of  the  bill 
of  lading  is  the  following  certificate  : — "  I  certify  that  the  within- 
mentioned  cargo  is  French  property,  having  been  shipped  by 


CRUISE   OF   THE   ALABAMA   AND   THE   SUMTER.        173 

order,  for  the  account  of  the  Messageries  Imperiales."  This  cer 
tificate  is  signed  by  Mr.  Smith,  but  is  not  sworn  to,  nor  is  the 
order,  nor  any  copy  of  the  order  to  ship  this  cargo  to  an  account 
of  the  Messageries  Imperiales,  found  among  the  papers.  As  the 
ship  was  not  chartered  by  any  agent  of  this  company,  and  as  the 
coal  was  not  shipped  by  any  such  agent,  Smith  being  the  agent 
of  Worms,  and  Worms  not  being  described  as  the  agent  of  the 
company,  the  presumption  is  that,  if  there  was  any  such  order  at 
all  in  the  case,  it  was  a  mere  general  understanding  that  the  com 
pany  would  pay  so  much  per  ton  for  coal  delivered  for  them  at 
their  depots,  the  property  remaining  in  the  shippers  until  delivery. 
The  presumption,  in  the  absence  of  proof,  is,  that  the  cargo  being 
on  board  an  American  ship  is  American  ;  shipped  on  speculation 
to  the  far  east,  by  the  owner,  or  his  agent,  in  Cardiff';  and  we 
have  seen  that  there  is  no  legal  evidence  in  the  case  ;  the  unsworn 
certificate  of  Mr.  Smith  not  even  amounting  to  an  ex  parte  affi 
davit.  Ship  and  cargo  condemned.  Probable  value  of  cargo  in 
Cardiff,  2500  dollars.  Cost  of  coal  in  Brazil,  15  to  17  dollars  per 
ton. 


The  Alabama  now  stood  away  in  the  direction  of  Fernando  de 
Noronha,  with  her  prize  in  company,  with  the  intention  of  there 
taking  on  board  a  fresh  supply  of  coal.  The  run  was  not  a  little 
protracted  by  the  light  and  baffling  winds  that  still  prevailed,  and 
as  though  this  was  not  enough,  fortune  must  needs  play  her  a 
trick,  by  sending  her  off  on  a  chase  of  fourteen  miles  after  a  sup 
posed  Yankee  whaler,  which,  when  at  last  overhauled,  turned  out 
to  be  nothing  but  a  poor  little  green-painted  "  Portiguee." 

Rain — rain — rain,  the  sun  sometimes  showing  himself  for  an 
hour  or  two,  just  a  few  minutes  too  early,  or  a  few  minutes  too 
late,  for  any  purposes  of  observation,  and  then  again  retiring  be 
hind  the  dense  masses  of  cloud  that  hid  the  whole  horizon  in  one 
drenching  down-pour.  And  all  this  while  every  mile  of  latitude 
of  the  last  importance,  as  the  Alabama  groped  her  way  slowly  to 
the  southward  and  eastward  in  search  of  the  little  island  at  which 
she  was  to  take  in  her  supplies,  and  which  she  might  at  any 
moment  run  past  in  the  darkness  altogether!  Trying  work,  in 
deed,  for  the  patience  of  men  cooped  up  in  their  narrow  floating 
prison,  and  longing  to  be  at  work  again. 

Too  trying,  at  last,  to  be  borne  any  longer  without  an  effort  at 
action ;  so  a  bold  attempt  was  made  at  coaling  while  under  way 
upon  the  open  sea  !  Steam  was  got  up,  and  the  prize  taken  in 
tow,  and  then  two  boats  were  lowered,  and  set  to  work.  But  the 


17dt       CRUISE   OF   THE   ALABAMA   AND   THE   SUMTER. 

Bcheme,  bold  and  ingenious  as  it  was,  was  soon  found  to  be  im 
practicable.  The  boats  managed  to  get  loaded  from  the  captured 
collier,  but  they  had  then  to  be  warped  up  alongside  the  Alabama, 
and  the  lowest  speed  that  could  be  given  her  was  too  great  for 
them  to  be  hauled  up  against  it.  So  each  time,  as  they  were 
filled,  it  was  necessary  to  stop  the  engine,  and  thus  occasion 
another  difficulty. 

We  now — says  Captain  Semmes — began  to  part  our  tow  lines 
by  these  stoppages  and  starlings,  and  it  took  a  long  time  to  get 
the  line  fast  again  ;  so  after  a  sleepless  night,  during  which,  as  I 
lay  in  my  cot  trying  to  sleep,  it  seemed  as  if  a  dozen  stentors  on 
deck  were  rivaling  each  other  in  making  the  night  hideous,  I  sent 
word  to  get  the  boats  run  up  again,  and  to  continue  our  course  to 
Fernando  de  Noronha  without  interruption. 

At  daylight  we  made  the  peak  of  the  island  a  long  way  off, 
some  thirty  eight  or  forty  miles,  and  in  the  afternoon  at  2.30 
came  to,  with  the  peak  bearing  S.W.  1  S.  and  the  N.E.  end  of  the 
Rat  Island  N.E.  by  E.  ^  E.,  depth  of  water  thirteen  and  a  half 
fathoms.  Anchored  the  prize  near  us.  But  for  our  steam  we 
should  have  been  still  drifting  to  the  S.W.,  as  the  day  has  been 
nearly  calm  throughout.  Fernando  de  Noronha,  in  the  wayside  of 
the  commerce  of  all  the  world,  is  sighted  by  more  ships,  and 
visited  by  fewer,  than  any  other  spot  of  earth.  It  is  a  broken, 
picturesque,  volcanic  rock,  in  mid  ocean,  covered  with  a  pleasing 
coat  of  verdure,  including  trees  of  some  size,  and  the  top  of  the 
main  island  is  cultivated  in  small  farms,  <kc.  Awfully  hot  when 
the  sun  shines,  and  indeed,  when  he  does  not  shine.  Just  after 
dark  hauled  the  prize  alongside,  and  commenced  coaliug. 


CHAPTER  XXVII. 

An  official  "in  trouble" — On  shore  again — A  breakfast  party — On 
horseback — Blowing  hard — Taken  in  the  net — Easy  captures — The 
Kate  Cory — The  Lafayette — A  polite  Governor — The  Louisa 
Hatch  burned,  and  Kate  Cory  burned — Landing  prisoner* — Tired 
of  waiting — A  scramble — Out  of  harbour  again. 

April  \\th. — Light  and  variable  airs;  misty  from  the  southward 
and  eastward,  and  oppressive ;  ther.  83°.  Last  night  the  two 
vessels  lay  alongside  oi'  each  other  so  roughly,  and  we  received  so 


CRUISE  OF  THE  ALABAMA  AND  THE  SUMTER.       175 

much  damage  (our  forechannels  being  crushed  in,  and  our  topsail 
mainyard  being  carried  away)  that  we  were  compelled  to  haul  the 
prize  off,  and  continue  coaling  by  means  of  our  boats. 

The  authorities  on  shore  having  hoisted  no  colours,  we  have  not 
set  ours  to-day.  We  were  visited  this  morning  by  a  couple  of 
gentlemen  from  the  shore,  bearing  a  letter  frem  the  Governor  in 
reply  to  an  inquiry  I  had  caused  the  Paymaster  to  address  to  him 
on  the  subject  of  supplies.  Their  interpreter  very  naively  informed 
me  that  he  was  a  German,  who  had  been  sentenced  to  banishment 
here  from  Rio,  and  that  he  had  a  year  and  a-half  to  serve.  This 
was  said  while  my  servant  was  drawing  the  cork  of  a  champagne 
bottle.  The  forger  (for  such  was  his  offence)  taking  his  glass  of 
wine  with  the  rest!  The  Governor  informed  me  that  I  could 
procure  supplies  of  be£f,  fresh  pork,  fowls,  &c.,  and  that  he  would 
be  glad  to  exchange  these  articles  with  me  for  flour,  wine,  sugar, 
coffee,  &c.  I  was  glad  to  find  that  he  raised  no  question  of  neu 
trality,  though  he  had,  no  doubt,  been  informed  by  a  boat's  crew 
from  the  shore  that  got  the  information  on  board,  of  the  ship  in 
my  company  being  a  prize.  He  kindly  invited  me  to  visit  the 
shore.  During  the  night  (one  o'clock)  we  had  a  surprise  in  the 
way  of  a  strange  steamer  making  h#r  appearance,  coming  round 
the  point  of  Rat  Island.  I  had  all  hands  called  to  quarters,  and 
the  battery  made  ready,  fires  extinguished,  and  chains  got  right 
for  slipping.  Although  she  came  within  a  mile  of  us,  with  the  in 
tention,  as  we  thought,  of  coming  to  anchor,  she  kept  on  her 
course  to  the  southward  and  we  piped  down,  the  men,  much 
fagged  from  coaling,  not  having  lost  more  than  half  an  hour's  rest 
by  the  operation. 

Sunday,  April  12/A. — The  exigencies  of  war  compel  me  to 
work  to-day  in  coaling  ship.  Weather  clear  and  very  hot  during 
morning,  clouding  about  noon  and  raining  for  several  hours. 

I  visited  the  island  this  morning  in  company  with  the  Surgeon, 
and  called  on  the  Governor.  The  surf  was  too  heavy  to  land,  but 
we  found  a  bolsa  moored  at  some  distance  from  the  shore,  and 
transferring  ourselves  to  this  we  were  very  skillfully  put  through 
the  surf  by  three  or  four  naked  fellows,  two  of  them  not  having 
even  a  breech-cloth  about  their  loins.  Fine,  well-made  fellows 
they  were  too.  We  found  horses  in  waiting,  and  rode  about  a 
mile  to  the  village  and  residence  of  the  Governor— a  Major  in  the 
Brazilian  army ;  passing  an  immense  sand-drift,  which  we  had 
not  expected  to  find  on  this  volcanic  rock. 

We  found  the  Governor  at  breakfast,  and  he  insisted  on  our 
seating  ourselves,  and  making  a  second  breakfast  with  him  in  com 
pany  with  his  wife — a  sprightly,  bright  mulatto — and  a  pretty 


176       CRUISE  OF  THE  ALABAMA  AND  THE   SUMTER. 

girl,  quite  white,  of  about  sixteen,  and  the  padre.  After  breakfast 
we  were  introduced  to  a  number  of  what  appeared  to  be  the  gen-r 
try  of  the  island,  and  who  had  assembled  thus  early  to  meet  us. 
Having  smoked  and  chatted  awhile,  we  remounted  for  a  ride  over 
the  island. 

We  were  not  in  the  saddle  more  than  twenty  minutes  when  one 
of  those  showers,  so  sudden  in  this  climate,  overtook  us,  and  gave 
us  a  complete  drenching;  we  had  other  showers  during  the  day, 
but  were  compensated  by  the  sun  hiding  himself  during  the  entire 
ride.  We  passed  under  the  shadow  of  the  gigantic  peak,  and  soon 
reached  the  summit  of  the  island,  which  spreads  out  into  a  most 
beautiful  and  productive  plain  of  some  two  or  three  hundred  acres. 
The  soil  is  a  ferruginous  clay  of  the  richest  description,  and  cov 
ered  with  the  choicest  vegetation  of  wild  grapes,  Indian  corn,  the 
cotton  plant,  the  castor  bean,  &c.,  &c.  We  stopped  a  few  minutes 
to  examine  a  manioc  manufactory.  Continuing  our  ride,  we  passed 
through  a  small  but  dense  forest,  to  a  cocoa-nut  plantation  on  the 
south-west  part  of  the  island,  where  we  found  the  water-melon 
growing  in  its  choice  soil — sand.  Here  we  took  shelter  again 
from  another  heavy  rain,  and  got  some  fine  grapes.  Whilst  wait 
ing  for  the  shower  to  pass,  I  had  quite  a  talk  with  the  Governor 
on  various  topics ;  among  others,  on  the  state  of  the  mixed  races 
in  the  Brazils,  &c.,  &c.  The  island,  at  the  season  at  which  we 
visited  it,  was  a  gem  of  picturesque  beauty — exceedingly  broken 
and  diversified  with  dells  and  rocks,  and  small  streams,  &c.,  &c. 
It  was  the  middle  of  the  rainy  season.  The  little  mountain  paths 
as  we  returned  became  small  brooks  that  hummed  and  purled  in 
their  rapid  course.  I  took  occasion  to  inform  his  Excellency  that 
my  tender  was  a  prize,  so  that  he  might  be  under  no  apprehen 
sion.  Number  of  convicts  1000.  Whole  number  of  population, 
2000.  The  Governor  expressed  himself  our  very  good  friend,  <fec., 
&c.  Got  on  board  at  5  P.M. 

Monday,  April  13th. — Another  rainy"  day.  Showers  very  heavy, 
but  still  we  continue  our  coaling.  Wind  from  northward  and 
westward,  and  though  light,  there  is  considerable  sea  on.  The 
bad  weather  continued  all  day,  and  the  night  having  set  in  with 
threatening  appearances,  I  caused  everybody  to  be  brought  on 
board  from  the  prize,  to  guard  against  the  possibility  of  her  being 
driven  on  shore,  and  endangering  life.  I  had  the  steam  got  up, 
and  the  chain  ready  for  slipping,  and  was  fearful  that  I  should  be 
obliged  to  slip ;  but  we  held  on  during  the  night.  Night  very 
dark,  with  heavy  rain,  and  much  sea  on. 

Tuesday,  April  14th. — Wind  this  morning  from  about  W.S.W.  j 
weather  still  louring.  Our  friends  came  off  from  the  shore  again 


CRUISE   OF  THE   ALABAMA  AND   THE   SUMTER.        177 

this  morning,  bringing  the  fresh  provisions  ordered  for  the  crew. 
Every  thing  is  very  dear  here.  Meat  forty  cents  per  pound ;  but 
still  my  crew  has  been  so  long  on  salt  diet  that  flesh  is  an  anti 
scorbutic  necessity  for  them.  I  have  arranged  to  sell  forty  or 
more  tons  of  coal  for  a  Brazilian  schooner  there  is  in  the  harbour, 
and  had  a  proposition  for  purchasing  the  prize,  which  I  offered  to 
sell  as  low  as  20,000  dollars ;  but  this  sum  seemed  to  alarm  them, 
they  saying  there  was  not  so  much  money  in  Fernando  de  Noron- 
ha.  Continued  our  coaling. 

Wednesday,  April  loth. — Weather  clear,  and  light  wind  from 
the  eastward.  Finished  coaling  ship  this  morning.  At  about 
11  A.M.  a  couple  of  whale-boats  from  two  vessels  in  the  offing 
pulled  into  the  harbour;  went  on  board  our  prize,  and  thence  to 
the  shore.  Although  the  two  masters  were  told  that  we  were  the 
Iroquois,  they  seemed  at  once  to  have  comprehended  the  true 
state  of  the  case,  and  to  make  haste  to  put  themselves  out  of 
harm's  way.  We  were  an  hour  and  more  getting  up  steam  and 
weighing  our  anchor  for  the  chase;  and  if  in  the  meantime  these 
whaling  captains  had  pulled  out  to  their  ships,  and  run  into  shore 
so  as  to  get  within  the  league,  they  might  have  saved  them.  We 
gave  chase,  and  came  up  with  both  of  them  on  the  south  side  of 
the  island,  about  half-past  3  P.M.,  and  captured  them — both  of 
them  being  without  the  league.  One  the  hermaphrodite  brig 
Kate  Cory,  of  Westport,  and  the  other  the  barque  Lafayette,  of 
New  Bedford ;  the  barque  we  burned,  and  the  brig  we  brought 
into  the  anchorage,  arriving  after  dark,  about  7  A.M.  We  sounded 
in  thirteen  fathoms  on  a  bank  on  the  south  side,  on  the  southern 
extremity  of  which  there  is  a  breaker  lying  out  from  two  and  a 
half  to  three  miles.  There  is  also  a  reef  off  Tobacco  Point  running 
out  half  a  mile.  We  saw  no  other  dangers. 

With  reference  to  these  captures,  the  following  amusing  account 
is  extracted  from  the  private  journal  of  the  officer  of  the  Alabama 
who  was  prize-master  on  board  the  Louisa  Hatch : — 

4  At  noon,  on  the  15th  of  April,  two  vessels  were  descried  to  the 
south,  standing  off  and  on,  under  reduced  sail.  At  12-30  two 
boats  were  observed  pulling  towards  us,  asking  my  ship's  name, 
the  port  I  hailed  from,  &c.  I  answered  correctly.  The  person  in 
charge  of  the  other  boat  then  inquired  if  the  war -steamer  was  the 
Alabama.  I  replied,  'Certainly  not,  she  was  the  Iroquois  U.  S. 
steamer.'  'Have  you  any  news  of  the  Alabama?'  'Yes,  we  had 
heard  of  her  being  in  the  West  Indies,  at  Jamaica  or  Costa  Rica, 
&c.'  A  conversation  ensued,  by  which  I  learned  that  the  boats 
belonged  to  the  two  vessels  in  the  distance,  that  they  were  both 


178      CRUISE   OF  THE   ALABAMA   AND   THE   SUMTER. 

whalers  put  in  for  supplies,  and  that  seeing  the  steamer  they  were 
rather  dubious  as  to  her  nationality,  and  had  therefore  spoke  me, 
to  gain  the  required  information.  A  brisk  conversation  was  then 
kept  up;  my  object  in  engaging  them  in  it  was  to  enable  the 
Alabama  to  get  under  way  ere  the  whalers  took  the  alarm,  feeling 
certain  that  the  preparations  were  being  made  to  go  after  them. 

4 1  then  invited  the  masters  to  come  on  board  my  ship,  which 
they  cheerfully  consented  to  do,  and  were  within  a  boat's  length, 
when  a  cry  of  alarm  broke  from  the  steersman  in  the  foremost 
boat.  Shouting  to  his  crew  to  'Give  way,  men;  give  way  for 
your  lives!'  he  with  a  few  well-directed,  vigorous  strokes,  turned 
his  boat's  head  round,  and  made  for  the  shore,  the  other  boat  fol 
lowing,  blank  astonishment  being  depicted  on  the  face  of  each 
member  of  the  crews.  To  the  frantic  inquiries  of  the  person  in 
charge  of  the  other  boat  as  to  the  cause  of  his  (the  steersman's) 
extraordinary  conduct,  his  only  reply  was,  'There!'  pointing  to  a 
small  Confederate  flag  of  about  fifteen  inches  long  and  six  inches 
broad,  which  I  had  inadvertently  left  flying  at  the  gaft';  the  gaff 
being  lowered  down,  the  little  flag  having  been  used  as  a  dog- 
vane,  in  order  to  tell  the  direction  of  the  wind,  <fec.  No  sooner 
did  the  men  perceive  it  than  they  redoubled  their  exertions  to  gain 
the  shore;  one  of  the  masters  calling  out  that  they  had  spoken  a 
ship  a  week  ago,  from  whom  they  had  obtained  news  of  peace. 
No  credence,  however,  cculd  be,  or  was  placed  in  this  statement. 

4  Immediately  after  they  left  I  despatched  a  boat  to  the  Ala 
bama  informing  them  of  the  character  of  my  visitors.  At  9.15 
the  Alabama  was  observed  to  get  under  way,  steaming  out  of  the 
anchorage  after  the  two  vessels. 

1  The  larger  island  being  between  the  scene  of  the  Alabama's 
operations  and  the  Louisa  Hatch,  I  was  not,  of  course,  an  eye  wit 
ness  of  the  captures.  But  at  5.30  I  observed  a  dense  column  of 
smoke,  which,  as  it  grew  later,  turned  into  a  ruddy  glare,  leaving 
no  doubt  in  our  minds  as  to  the  fate  of  the  whalers.  At  7  p.  M. 
observed  the  Alabama  coming  round  the  northern  part  of  the 
island  with  a  vessel  in  tow,  both  anchoring  at  7.30.  The  next 
morning  I  learnt  that  the  captures  were  the  barque  Lafayette,  of 
New  Bedford,  and  the  brig  Kate  Cory,  of  Westport.  The  barque 
was  burnt  and  the  brig  kept,  it  being  our  intention  to  send  off  all 
the  prisoners  we  had  on  board,  consisting  of  140,  including  the 
women  stewardesses,  in  her;  but  on  communicating  with  the  au 
thorities,  it  was  resolved  to  land  them  on  the  island,  a  Brazilian 
schooner  engaging  to  convey  them  to  Peruambuco.  For  this  pur 
pose  provisions  for  twenty-one  days  were  sent  ashore,  the  pris 
oners,  after  being  paroled,  following. 


CRUISE   OF   THE    ALABAMA   AND   THE   SUMTER.        179  , 

The  remainder  of  the  day  was  spent  in  transferring  provisions, 
&c.,  for  ship's  use.  The  next  evening  the  prizes,  the  Louisa 
Hatch  and  Kate  Cory,  slipped  cables,  and  stood  seaward.  When 
about  five  miles  from  land  both  vessels  were  set  fire  to ;  Mr.  Evans, 
the  officer  in  charge  of  the  brig,  returning  on  board  long  before 
me,  the  strong  westerly  current  rendering  it  extremely  difficult  to 
stem  it. 

4  We  remained  painting  and  cleaning  ship  until  the  22nd.  At 
9.30  A.  M.  we  got  under  way,  steering  and  cruising  towards  Bahia, 
at  which  place  we  arrived  on  the  llth  of  May,  having  ^captured 
and  burnt  four  vessels  between  Fernando  and  Bahia. 

'The  news  of  our  doings  off  the  islands  had  preceded  us,  of 
course  with  additions  and  manipulations  ad  lib.,  the  schooner  hav 
ing  left  Noronha  the  day  previous  to  our  departure.  The  Gov 
ernor  of  Pernambuco  had  sent  three  war  vessels  to  the  islands  to 
enforce  the  neutrality  of  the  place,  which,  according  to  Yankee 
representations,  had  been  infringed.  Not  content  with  this,  the 
American  representatives  had  succeeded  in  procuring  the  recall  of 
the  Governor,  whose  only  crime  was  that  he  had  let  us  anchor  off 
the  place — a  crime  of  which  he  was  necessarily  guiltless,  because 
he  had  no  power  to  prevent  our  anchoring  if  we  insisted  on  it. 

'Whilst  at  Bahia  I  was  shown  a  letter  from  the  master  of  one 
of  the  whaling  barques  to  an  agent,  in  which  he  wrote  that  he 
would  spare  no  money  or  time  to  follow  to  the  uttermost  ends  of 
the  earth,  and  bring  to  justice,  the  man  who  had  so  cruelly  de 
ceived  him.  This  sentence  had  reference  to  my  denial  of  the  Ala 
bama  and  the  substitution  of  the  U.  S.  steamer  Iroquois  for  that  of 
C.  S.  steamer  Alabama.  The  ingratitude  of  some  people  ! !' 

On  the  16th  April  Captain  Semmes  resumes  his  diary  as  fol 
lows : — Weather  clear ;  wind  lisrht  from  the  southward  and  east 
ward.  Our  banner,  last  night  a  lurid  flame,  is  a  tall  column  of 
smoke  advertising  us  for  twenty-five  or  thirty  miles  round.  My 
first  intention  was  to  ship  all  my  prisoners,  amounting  to  about  one 
hundred  and  ten,  in  the  prize  brig,  but  the  Governor  having  con 
sented  to  my  landing  them,  I  am  busy  to-day  getting  them  on 
shore,  with  their  baggage  and  provisions,  and  receiving  prisoners 
from  the  Louisa  Hatch.  Sun  very  warm.  The  Governor  paid  me 
a  visit  this  morning,  and  requested  that  I  would  write  him  on  the 
subject  of  the  captures  yesterday,  stating  the  fact  (with  which  he 
was  satisfied,  or  at  least,  to  which  he  made  no  objection)  that  they 
were  captured  beyond  the  league  from  the  land,  and  requesting 
leave  to  land  the  prisoners,  in  order  that  oiir  understanding  should 
assume  an  official  shape,  which  I  did. 

Friday,  April  llth. — The  weather  still  continues  very  warm; 


180   CRUISE  OF  THE  ALABAMA  AND  THE  SUMTER. 

wind  light  from  the  S.E.,  and  cloudy.  Busy  receiving  and  stow 
ing  away  provisions,  replacing  the  coal  consumed,  and  getting 
ready  for  sea  generally.  The  landing  of  so  many  prisoners  amid 
so  small  a  population  has  created  a  very  great  stir,  and  the  excita 
ble  Brazilians  are  discussing  among  themselves  and  with  the  Yan 
kee  captains  the  question  of  the  American  war  with  great  vehe 
mence.  Several  sail  have  been  reported  as  usual.  The  afternoon 
set  in  rainy,  and  the  rain  continued  all  night.  Towards  nightfall 
sent  the  prizes,  Louisa  Hatch  and  Kate  Cory,  a  league  outside  the 
island,  and  burned  them.  Received  four  recruits  from  the  Louisa 
Hatch,  and  more  volunteered,  but  I  am  full. 

Saturday,  April  18th. — Morning  cloudy,  with  wind  light  from 
the  S.E.  Loosed  sails  to-day.  I  am  anxiously  expecting  the 
arrival  of  the  Agrippina,  my  store  ship,  from  England,  which  was 
ordered  to  rendezvous  here — not  so  anxiously,  however,  as  if  my 
coal-bunkers  were  empty.  But  she  has  a  couple  of  additional 
guns  on  board,  that  would  make  an  important  addition  to  my 
battery. 

Sunday,  April  19th. — Rain  in  the  morning,  with  light  airs. 
Our  steam-tubes  leak  badly,  and  I  am  afraid  the  leaks  will  increase 
so  as  to  give  us  trouble.  Every  time  we  get  up  steam,  even  a  few 
pounds  for  condensing  water,  we  find  that  large  quantities  of  hot 
water  flow  into  the  hold ;  eight  inches  escaped  in  about  twelve 
hours  yesterday.  Unfortunately,  too,  this  tubing  is  laid  so  low  in 
the  bottom  of  the  ship,  as  to  be  out  of  reach  for  examination  or 
repairs  without  being  taken  up.  The  Governor  sent  me  off  a  fine 
turkey  and  some  fruit,  and  his  lady  a  bouquet  of  roses.  The  roses 
were  very  sweet,  and  made  me  home-sick  for  a  while. 

Monday,  April  20th. — A  dull,  heavy,  rainy  day — the  rain 
coming  down  at  intervals  in  torrents,  as  it  is  wont  to  do  in  these 
regions.  Still  laying  at  our  anchors,  waiting  for  the  Agrippina. 
She  should  be  out  thirty-five  days,  to-day,  from  Cardiff.  In  the 
afternoon  the  rain  ceased,  except  an  occasional  light  sprinkle,  but 
the  dull  canopy  of  clouds  did  not  break,  and  we  had  a  strong 
breeze  from  the  S.E.  for  four  or  five  hours,  indicating  the  approach 
of  the  trades  to  this  latitude. 

Tuesday,  April  21st. — Morning  clear,  wind  light  from  S.E. 
The  Island  after  the  rain  is  blooming  in  freshness  and  verdure,  and 
as  my  eye  roams  over  its  green  slopes  I  long  for  repose  and  the 
quiet  of  peace  in  my  own  land  :  I  do  not  think  it  can  be  far  off. 
Fresh  u  trade"  in  the  afternoon.  Towards  night  the  Brazilian 
steamer  sailed  with  a  load  of  our  prisoners. 

Wednesday,  April  22nd. — Cloudy,  with  squalls  for  rain.  At 
9.30  got  under  way  under  steam,  and  stood  to  the  eastward.  Cut 


CRUISE  OF  THE  ALABAMA  AND  THE  SUMTER.       181 

away  four  whale-boats  that  the  islanders  might  have  a  scramble 
for  them.  They  soon  started  in  chase!  Steamed  due  east,  about 
forty-five  miles,  let  the  steam  go  down,  and  put  the  ship  under  sail. 
No  sail  seen. 


CHAPTER  XXVIII. 

A  curious  prize — The  Nye — The  Dorcas  Prince — An  anniversary— 
The  Union  Jack  and  the  Sea  Lark — In  the  harbour  of  Bahia—- 
Explanations — Unexpected  meeting — The  Georgia — A  little  holi 
day — Diplomacy — More  neutrality — Home-sick. 

A  CURIOUS  prize  was  the  next  that  fell  into  the  clutches  of  the 
all-devouring  Alabama.  A  whaling  barque,  the  Nye,  of  New 
Bedford,  eleven  months  out,  without  having  once  put  into  port ! 
Three  whole  months  before  the  launching  of  the  Alabama,  had 
that  patient  little  vessel  been  ploughing  the  seas,  gathering,  as  it 
turned  out,  only  additional  fuel  for  her  own  funeral  pyre.  A 
weary  voyage  to  have  so  sad  a  termination ! 

Among  her  crew,  transferred  as  prisoners  to  her  captor,  was  a 
Lieutenant  of  Marines  from  the  Quaker  State,  serving  on  board 
the  whaler  in  the  capacity  of  steward ! 

Next  came  the  Dorcas  Prince,  of  and  from  New  York,  for 
Shanghai.  Cargo  chiefly  coal,  probably  intended  for  United 
States  ships  of  war  in  the  East  Indies — a  supposition  that  un 
doubtedly  gave  additional  zest  to  the  bonfire,  which — no  claim  to 
neutrality  being  found  among  her  papers — in  due  course  followed 
on  her  capture. 

Saturday,  May  2nd. — An  anniversary  with  me — writes  Captain 
Semrnes — my  in arri age-day.  Alas  !  this  is  the  third  anniversary 
since  I  was  separated  from  my  family  by  this  Yankee  war!  And 
the  destruction  of  fifty  of  their  ships  has  been  but  a  small  revenge 
for  this  great  privation. 

On  that  day  two  more  were  added  to  the  long  list,  and  the 
barque  Union  Jack,  of  Boston,  and  ship  Sea  Lark,  of  New  York, 
shared  the  fate  of  their  fifty  predecessors.  The  former  of  these 
two  vessels  added  three  women  and  two  infants  to  the  already  far 
too  numerous  colony  of  the  weaker  sex,  by  which  the  Alabama 
was  now  encumbered. 

There  was  no  claim  of  neutral  property  among  the  papers  of 
either  of  these  ships,  except  in  the  case  of  one  Allen  Hay,  who 


182       CRUISE   OF  THE  ALABAMA  AND  THE  SUMTER. 

was  the  shipper  of  five  cases  of  crackers,  and  ten  barrels  of  butter, 
on  board  the  Union  Jack.  In  this  case,  a  Thomas  W.  Lielie 
made  oath  before  the  British  Consul  at  New  York,  that  the  said 
articles  were  shipped  "for  and  on  account  of  Her  Britannic 
Majesty."  This  certificate  was  of  no  force  or  effect,  for  its  inde- 
finiteness,  as  decided  in  other  cases.  A  claim  of  property  must 
point  out  the  owner  or  owners,  and  not  aver  that  it  belongs  to  the 
subjects  of  a  nation  generally.  There  must  be  some  one  designated 
who  has  a  right  to  the  possession  of  the  property  under  the  bill  of 
lading.  The  certificate  was  accordingly  set  aside,  and  the  ship 
and  cargo  condemned. 

Besides  the  women  and  children,  the  Union  Jack  furnished 
also  another  prisoner  of  a  somewhat  unusual  character,  in  the  per 
son  of  the  Rev.  Franklin  Wright,  late  editor  of  a  religious  paper, 
and  newly-appointed  consul  at  Foo  Chow.  The  worthy  clergy 
man's  entry,  however,  upon  his  new  duties  was  for  the  time  indefi 
nitely  postponed  by  the  confiscation  of  his  appointment,  along 
with  the  other  public  papers  in  his  charge.  So,  for  a  time,  Foo 
Chow  had  to  exist  without  the  advantages  arising  from  the  pre 
sence  of  a  functionary  from  the  United  States. 

Monday,  May  \\th. — Showed  the  United  States  colours  to  a 
Spanish  brig.  In  the  afternoon  ran  in  and  anchored  in  the  har 
bour  of  Bahia.  A  Portuguese  steamer,  the  only  vessel  of  war 
found  here.  No  Yankee  man-of-war  had  been  here  for  some 
months.  The  health  officer  came  on  board,  just  at  nightfall. 
The  Agrippina  not  here,  and  I  begin  to  fear  that  some  disaster 
has  befallen  her. 

Tuesday,  May  12th. — This  morning  the  President  sent  a  mes 
senger  to  me  with  a  copy  of  the  Diario  dc  Bahia  of  the  8th  May, 
in  which  appears  a  sort  of  proclamation  or  request,  addressed  to 
me  by  the  President  of  Pernarnbuco,  desiring  that  I  should  leave 
Fernando  de  Noronha  in  twenty-four  hours  after  the  receipt  of  the 
same.  This  paper  seems  to  be  based  on  certain  false  statements 
carried  to  Pernambuco  by  the  Yankee  prisoners  whom  I  had  sent 
to  this  place.  It  is  alleged  that  I  violated  the  neutrality  of  the 
island,  &c.  I  replied  to  the  President,  that  there  was  no  truth  in 
this  statement;  but  that,  on  the  contrary,  I  had  paid  respect  to 
the  neutrality  of  Brazil.  In  reply  to  my  communication,  the 
President  informed  me  that  I  should  be  admitted  to  the  usual  hos 
pitalities  of  the  port ;  but  the  bearer  of  his  despatch  took  occa 
sion  to  say  that  he  hoped  I  would  not  stop  more  than  three  or 
four  days,  as  the  President  was  afraid  of  being  compromised  in 
some  way.  The  master  of  an  English  barque  came  on  board  and 


CRUISE   OF  THE  ALABAMA  AND  THE  SUMTER.       183 

informed  me  that  he  had  coal  and  provisions  for  the  Confederate 
steamer  Japan,  which  was  to  meet  him  here  on  the  6th  instant. 

Wednesday,  May  13 th. — Early  this  morning  a  strange  steamer 
was  discovered  at  anchor  about  half  a  mile  from  us ;  and  at  8 
A.M  ,  when  we  hoisted  our  colours,  to  our  great  surprise  and  de 
light,  she  too  hoisted  the  Confederate  flag.  We  then  exchanged 
the  established  signals ;  and  on  sending  a  boat  on  board  of  her, 
we  ascertained  that  she  was  the  Georgia,  Lieut.  Commanding 
Maury.  Chapman  and  Evans,  two  of  my  Sumter  Lieutenants, 
were  on  board  of  her.  The  Georgia  sailed  from  England  about 
the  2nd  of  April,  and  armed  oft  Ushant.  Our  ship  has  been 
crowded  with  visitors  ever  since  we  came  in. 

Thursday,  May  14th. — At  12.15  P.M.  with  a  party  of  officers 
from  the  Georgia  and  my  own  ship,  I  took  a  steam-tug  and  pro 
ceeded  up  the  harbour  to  the  railroad  depot,  at  the  invitation  of 
the  manager  of  the  road,  for  an  excursion  into  the  country,  which 
proved  to  be  very  pleasant.  We  passed  along  the  whole  port  of 
Bahia,  the  lower  town  skirting  the  water,  and  the  upper  town  the 
crests  of  a  semicircular  height,  the  intermediate  space  being  filled 
with  trees  and  shrubbery.  The  houses  are  mostly  white,  and 
many  of  them  very  picturesque.  The  terminus  of  the  road  is  a 
beautiful  and  spacious  iron  building,  situated  in  the  middle  of  a 
great  square ;  and  the  road  itself  is  a  very  substantial  job.  We 
rode  out  twenty-four  miles  through  a  picturesque  country,  the 
road  bordered  for  most  of  the  way  by  the  bay  and  lagoons,  with 
beautiful  little  valleys  occasionally  opening  on  either  hand,  with 
their  patches  of  sugar-cane  and  cotton.  On  our  return  we  sat 
down  to  a  beautiful  lunch,  with  champagne.  Our  hosts  were  at 
tentive  and  agreeable,  and  we  returned  on  board  at  dusk,  after  a 
very  pleasant  day.  The  English  residents  here  have  been » very 
attentive  to  us.  Our  tug-man,  who  was  a  Thames  waterman, 
dodged  in  and  out  among  the  launches  and  vessels  in  a  way  that 
only  a  Thames  man 'can  do.  The  French  mail  came  in  to-day, 
and  brought  us  news  that  the  Florida  was  at  Pernambuco. 

Friday,  May  15th. — This  morning  a  person  in  citizen's  dress 
came  on  board  and  said  that  the  President  had  requested  him  to 
ask  me  to  show  him  my  commission.  I  replied  that  I  could  have 
no  objection  to  show  my  commission,  but  it  must  be  to  an  officer 
of  my  own  rank,  and  that  this  officer  must  come  on  board  in  his 
uniform  for  the  purpose;  that  I  could  not  show  my  commission 
to  any  person  who  might  come  on  board  in  citizen's  dress,  bring 
ing  me  a  mere  verbal  message,  and  without  any  credentials  of  his 
rank,  &c.  I  remarked,  however,  that  it  would  give  me  very  great 
pleasure  to  call  on  the  President  myself  and  exhibit  it.  To  this 


184       CRUISE   OF  THE  ALABAMA   AND  THE   SUMTER. 

he  readily  assented  ;  and  having  appointed  an  hour  for  the  inter 
view,  I  went  on  shore,  accompanied  by  my  aide,  and  had  a  long 
and  agreeable  chat  with  his  Excellency,  who  was  a  man  of  about 
thirty-five  years  of  age,  tall  and  delicate- looking,  with  black  eyes 
and  hair. 

We  discussed  various  points  relating  to  the  subject  of  neutral 
and  belligerent  rights,  &c. ;  and  I  took  occasion  to  repeat  the  as 
surances  I  had  previously  given  him  in  my  letter,  that  I  had  paid 
due  attention  to  the  neutral  rights  of  Brazil  during  my  visit  to 
Fernando  de  Noronha,  &c.  I  told  him  I  only  desired  him  to  ex 
tend  to  me  and  to  the  Georgia  the  same  hospitality  as  he  would 
extend  to  a  Federal  cruiser ;  but  that  I  might  say  to  him  as  an 
individual,  that  we  were  entitled  to  the  warm  sympathies  of 
Brazil,  &c. 

I  arranged  about  coaling  the  Georgia  and  this  ship  by  means 
of  launches,  as  there  were  port  objections  to  the  ship  being  hauled 
alongside.  He  seemed  anxious  that  our  stay  should  be  as  short 
as  possible,  lest  our  delay  might  compromise  his  neutrality  in 
some  way.  He  said  my  sailors  had  been  behaving  very  badly  on 
shore,  and  indeed  I  knew  they  had.  I  told  him  he  would  oblige 
me  by  securing  the  rioters  and  putting  them  in  prison.  This 
evening  we  were  entertained  very  handsomely  at  the  residence  of 
Mr.  Ogilvie,  where  we  met  all  the  English  society  of  the  place. 

Saturday,  May  16th. — This  day  the  ship  (Castor),  from  which 
the  Georgia  was  coaling,  was  ordered  to  be  hauled  off,  and  the 
operation  suspended,  the  Yankee  Consul  having  alleged  to  the 
Government  that  she  had  munitions  of  war  on  board. 

Sunday,  May  llth. — In  the  morning  an  officer  came  on  board 
and  read  me  a  despatch  from  the  President,  expressing  displeasure 
at  my  remaining  so  long  in  the  port,  and  directing  me  to  proceed 
to  sea  in  twenty-four  hours.  The  same  paper  was  read  on  board 
the  Georgia.  I  replied  that  the  Government  itself  had  caused 
our  delay,  by  prohibiting  us  from  coaling  from  the  ship  from 
which  we  had  purchased  our  coal ;  and  that  I  could  go  to  sea  in 
twenty-four  hours  after  this  prohibition  was  removed,  &c.  <fec.  A 
party  of  English  ladies  and  gentlemen  visited  the  ship  this  after 
noon.  We  wj3re  crowded  all  day,  besides,  with  miscellaneous 
visitors. 

Tuesday,  May  19th. — This  morning,  at  the  request  of  the  Pres 
ident,  I  went  on  shore  to  see  him,  and  we  had  a  long  and  animated 
discussion,  in  which  he  stated  he  had  certain  proofs,  adduced  by 
the  United  States  Consul,  to  the  effect  that  the  coal-ship  Castor 
had  been  sent  here  to  meet  us,  &c. ;  and  that  under  these  circum 
stances  (the  ship  being  charged,  besides,  with  having  munitions 


CRUISE   OF  THE  ALABAMA  AND  THE   SUMTER.       185 

of  war  on  board),  he  felt  it  his  duty  to  prevent  us  from  coaling 
from  her,  but  that  we  might  have  free  access  to  the  market,  &c. 
The  Consul,  too,  had  told  him  that  I  had  shipped  one  of  the  pris 
oners  after  landing  him :  the  fact  being  that,  although  many  of 
them  volunteered,  I  refused  to  receive  any  of  them,  having  already 
a  full  crew  on  board.  In  the  afternoon  addressed  a  letter  to  the 
President,  insisting  upon  the  right  to  coal  from  the  Castor. 

Wednesday,  May  20th. — We  were  promised  lighters  with  coal 
from  the  shore  this  morning ;  but  not  one  has  yet  come  off — half- 
past  twelve.  Just  at  nightfall  a  lighter  came  alongside,  and  dur 
ing  the  night  we  filled  up.  The  next  day  we  got  under  way  and 
steamed  out  of  the  harbour. 

Sunday,  May  24th. — I  am  quite  home-sick  this  quiet  Sunday 
morning.  I  am  now  two  long,  long  years  away  from  my  family, 
and  there  are  no  signs  of  an  abatement  of  the  war  ;  on  the  contrary, 
the  Yankees  seem  to  become  more  and  more  infuriated,  and  noth 
ing  short  of  a  war  of  invasion  is  likely  to  bring  them  to  terms,  un 
less  indeed  it  be  the  destruction  of  their  commerce ;  and  for  this, 
I  fear,  we  are  as  yet  too  weak.  If  we  can  get  and  hold  Kentucky, 
the  case  may  be  different.  Well,  we  must  sacrifice  our  natural 
yearnings  on  the  altar  of  our  country,  for  without  a  country  we 
can  have  no  home. 


CHAPTER  XXIX. 

Two  more  f — The  Gildersliene  and  Justina — Case  of  the  Jabez  Snow 
— The  barque  Amazonian — Relieved  of  prisoners — A  hint — The 
Talisman — Under  false  colours — The  Conrad — A  nobler  fate — He- 
christened — The  Tuscaloosa  commissioned — Short  of  provisions. 

THE  25th  May  witnessed  the  capture  of  the  ship  Gildersliene 
and  the  barque  Justina.  The  latter  having  a  neutral  cargo,  was 
ransomed  on  a  bond  for  7000  dollars;  the  former  condemned  and 
burned,  after  an  investigation  terminating  in  the  following  decis 
ion  : — 

CASE  OF  THE  GILDERSLIENE. 

Ship  under  the  United  States  colours  and  register.  Charter- 
party  with  Messrs.  Halliday,  Fox,  and  Co.,  of  London,  who  de 
scribe  themselves  as  merchants  and  freighters,  to  make  a  voyage 
to  Calcutta  and  back  to  London  or  Liverpool.  Cargo  taken  in 

9 


186       CRUISE   OF  THE  ALABAMA  AND  THE   SUMTER. 

at  Sunderland,  and  consisting  of  coal,  said  to  be  shipped  for  the 
"  service  of  the  Peninsular  and  Oriental  Steam  Navigation  Com 
pany,"  but  not  even  averred  to  be  on  "their  account  and  risk." 
No  certificate  or  other  evidence  of  property ;  ship  and  cargo  con 
demned.  Master  knows  nothing  of  property  except  what  appears 
by  the  papers. 


Friday,  May  29th.  —  We  had  another  chase  last  night  from 
about  2  A.M.,  but  with  better  success  than  the  two  previous 
nights,  since  at  7.30  A.M.  we  came  up  with  and  captured  the  ship 
Jabez  Snow,  of  Rockport,  Maine.  Just  at  daylight,  being  within 
about  four  miles  of  her,  we  hoisted  our  own  colours,  and  fired  a 
gun.  She  did  not  show  any  colours  in  return,  and  stood  a  second 
gun  before  heaving  to  ;  she  finally  showed  her  colours.  Got  on 
board  from  the  prize  a  quantity  of  provisions  and  cordage  ;  tran 
shipped  the  crew,  and  about  sunset  set  her  on  fire.  Found  a  let 
ter  on  board,  the  writer  of  which  referred  to  American  ships  be 
ing  under  a  cloud  "owing  to  dangers  from  pirates,  more  politely 
"styled  privateers,  which  our  kind  friends  in  England  are  so  will- 
"  ing  should  slip  out  of  their  ports  to  prey  on  our  commerce." 
This  letter  was  dated  Boston,  November  25th,  1862. 

CASE  OF  THE  JABEZ   SNOW. 

Ship  under  United  States  colours,  cargo  coals,  from  Cardiff  for 
Monte  Video.  On  the  face  of  the  bill  of  lading  is  the  following  : 
"  We  certify  that  the  cargo  of  coals  per  Jabez  Snow,  for  which 
this  is  the  bill  of  lading,  is  the  bond  fide  property  of  Messrs.  Wil 
son,  Holt,  Lane,  &  Co.,  and  that  the  same  are  British  subjects  and 
merchants  ;  and  also  that  the  coals  are  for  their  own  use. 

POWELL  &  SONS." 


As  this  certificate  was  not  sworn  to,  it  added  no  force  to  the 
bill  of  lading,  as  every  bill  of  lading  is  an  unsworn  certificate  of 
the  facts  it  recites.  There  being  no  legal  proof  among  the 
papers  to  contradict  the  presumption  that  all  property  found  under 
the  enemy's  flag  is  enemy's  property,  and  as  the  Master,  who  was 
the  charterer  and  agent  of  the  ship,  and  whose  duty  it  was  to 
know  about  all  the  transactions  in  which  he  was  engaged,  swore 
that  he  had  no  personal  knowledge  of  the  owner  of  the  cargo,  ex 
cept  such  as  he  derived  from  the  ship's  papers,  the  cargo,  as  well 
as  the  ship,  is  condemned  as  prize  of  war.  The  following  signif 
icant  extract  from  a  letter  of  the  Master  to  his  owners,  dated 


CRUISE  OF  THE  ALABAMA  AND  THE  SUMTER.       187 

Penrith  Roads,  April  19th,  1863,  was  found  on  board,  though  not 
produced  by  the  Master  : — 

"I  have  my  bills  of  lading  certified  by  the  Mayor,  that  the 
cargo  is  bond  fide  English  property.  Whether  this  will  be  of  any 
service  to  me  in  the  event  of  iny  being  overhauled  by  a  Southern 
pirate,  remains  to  be  proved." 

The  certificate  above  recited  seems,  therefore,  to  have  been  pro 
cured  by  the  Master  to  protect  his  ship  from  capture,  and  not  to 
have  been  a  spontaneous  act  of  the  pretended  neutral  owners  to 
protect  the  cargo.  The  cargo  and  advance  freight  were  insured 
against  war-risk,  the  ship  paying  the  premium.  No  effort  was 
made  by  Wilson,  Holt,  Lane,  <fe  Co.,  to  protect  the  cargo,  and  they 
were  the  proper  parties  to  make  the  oath.  The  agent  who  shipped 
the  coal  for  this  firm,  and  who  wrote  the  above-quoted  certificate, 
could  only  know,  of  course,  that  he  had  shipped  them  by  order  of 
his  principal.  Why,  then,  did  Wilson,  Holt,  Lane,  <fe  Co.,  decline 
to  make  the  necessary  oath  to  protect  the  cargo  ?  They  should 
have  taken  the  necessary  steps  to  protect  either  themselves  or  the 
insurers,  but  they  did  no  such  thing.  It  would  seem,  probably, 
that  they  were  the  agents  of  some  American  house,  and  that  they 
could  not,  in  conscience,  take  the  oath  required  by  law. 


The  next  prize  was  the  Amazonian,  of  Boston,  from  New  York 
to  Monte  Video,  captured,  after  a  long  chase,  on  the  2d  of  June, 
but  not  until  two  blank  shots  had  failed  to  bring  her  to,  and  the 
stronger  hint  of  a  round  from  the  rifled  gun  had  convinced  her  of 
the  impossibility  of  escape. 

CASE  OF  THE    BARQUE  AMAZONIAN. 

Ship  under  United  States  colours;  has  an  assorted  cargo  on 
board,  and  is  bound  from  New  York  to  Monte  Video.  There  are 
two  claims  of  neutral  property — one  for  twenty  cases  of  varnish 
and  fifty  casks  of  oil,  claimed  as  shipped  on  "  account  of  Messrs. 
Galli  &  Co.,  French  subjects."  This  claim  is  sworn  to  by  a  Mr. 
Craig,  before  a  notary.  It  does  not  aver  that  the  property  is  in 
Messrs.  Galli  &  Co.,  but  simply  that  it  was  shipped  "  on  their  ac 
count."  There  is  no  outside  evidence  of  the  truth  of  this  trans 
action,  as  the  master  knows  nothing  about  it. 


Bight  glad  was  the  Alabama  to  fall  in,  on  the  day  after  this 
last  capture,  with  an  English  brigantine,  the  master  of  which 


188      CRUISE  OF  THE   ALABAMA   AND  THE  SUMTER. 

proved  willing,  in  consideration  of  a  gift  from  Captain  Semmes  of 
one  of  his  noble  collection  of  captured  chronometers,  to  relieve 
him  of  the  crowd  of  prisoners  with  which  he  was  encumbered. 
To  the  number  of  forty-one  they  were  forthwith  transferred,  along 
with  a  stock  of  provisions  sufficient  for  a  fortnight's  consumption ; 
and  the  Alabama  breathed  freely  again,  relieved  of  her  disagreea 
ble  charge. 

It  may  not  be  an  uninstructive,  and  it  is  most  assuredly  an 
amusing  comment,  upon  the  claims  of  neutrality  so  loudly  insisted 
upon,  to  quote  the  following  extract  from  a  New  York  letter, 
captured  on  board  one  of  the  recent  prizes.  It  is  dated  April  7th, 
and  addressed  to  a  correspondent  in  Buenos  Ayres  : — 

"  When  you  ship  in  American  vessels,  it  would  be  as  well  to 
have  the  British  Consul's  certificate  of  English  property  attached 
to  the  bill  of  lading  and  invoices;  as  in  the  event  of  falling  in 
with  the  numerous  privateers,  it  would  save  both  cargo  and  vessel, 
in  all  probability.  An  American  ship,  recently  fallen  in  with,  was 
released  by  the  Alabama  on  account  of  a  British  Consul's  certifi 
cate  showing  the  greater  part  of  the  cargo  to  be  English  prop 
erty.  If  you  ship  in  a  neutral  vessel,  we  save  five  per  cent,  war 
insurances." 

Another  prize.  The  Talisman,  a  fine  ship  of  1100  tons,  under 
United  States  colours  and  register,  with  no  claim  of  neutral  prop 
erty  in  cargo ;  and  before  the  glare  of  her  funeral  pyre  had  faded 
from  the  horizon,  another  hove  in  sight,  so  evidently  American, 
that  notwithstanding  the  English  ensign  flying  at  her  peak,  she 
was  at  once  brought  to  and  boarded.  And  American  she  proved 
to  be  in  her  origin ;  but  her  owners  had  been  wise,  and,  so  far  as 
her  papers  went,  she  had  been  regularly  transferred  to  the  pro 
tection  of  the  British  flag — humiliating,  perhaps,  to  the  proud 
"  Yankee  nation,"  but  effective  as  a  precaution  against  capture ; 
though,  had  the  Confederate  cruiser  been  able  to  send  her  into 
port  for  adjudication,  the  transfer  might  very  possibly,  when  the 
evidence  came  to  be  sifted,  have  proved  but  a  *'  bogus  transaction" 
after  all. 

So  the  "Englishman"  had  to  be  released,  consenting,  however, 
to  relieve  the  Alabama  of  a  prisoner  and  his  wife,  recently  cap 
tured  on  board  the  Talisman.  A  week  passed  away,  and  then 
came  another  instance  of  a  similar  transfer  under  the  strong  pres 
sure  of  fear,  the  whilom  Yankee  barque  Joseph  Hall,  of  Portland, 
Maine,  now  seeking  a  humiliating  safety  as  the"  British"  Azzopadi, 
of  Port  Lewis,  Isle  of  France  f 

Alas!  for  the  Stars  and  Stripes,  the  Azzopadi  was  not  hull 
down  on  the  horizon  ere  the  once-renowned  Yankee  clipper 


CRUISE   OF  THE  ALABAMA  AND  THE  SUMTER.       189 

Challenger  lay  humbly,  with  her  maintopsail  to  the  mast,  in  the 
very  place  in  which  her  countryman  had  just  been  performing  a 
similar  penance,  claiming,  as  the  British-owned  Queen  of  Beauty, 
a  similar  immunity. 

At  last,  however,  as  the  impatient  crew  of  the  Alabama  were 
beginning  to  think  that  their  enemy's  flag  had  finally  vanished 
from  the  face  of  the  ocean,  an  adventurous  barque  hove  in  sight, 
with  the  old  familiar  bunting  at  her  peak.  She  proved  to  be  the 
Conrad,  of  Philadelphia,  from  Buenos  Ayres  for  New  York,  partly 
laden  with  wool,  the  ownership  of  which  was,  as  usual,  claimed  as 
neutral.  On  investigation,  the  claim  proved  an  evident  fabrication, 
the  facts  of  the  case  being  as  follows  : — 

CASE  OF  THE  CONRAD. 

Ship  under  American  colours  and  register.  A  Mr.  Thomas 
Armstrong,  who  describes  himself  as  a  British  subject  doing  busi 
ness  at  Buenos  Ayres,  makes  oath  before  the  British  Consul  that 
a  part  of  this  wool  belongs  to  him  and  a  part  to  Don  Frederico 
Elortando,  a  subject  of  the  Argentine  Republic.  This  may  or  may 
not  be  true,  but  the  master  is  unable  to  verify  the  document,  be 
not  having  been  present  when  it  was  prepared,  and  not  knowing 
any  thing  about  it.  There  is,  besides,  so  strong  a  current  of  Amer 
ican  trade  with  Buenos  Ayres,  that  the  presumption  is,  from  the 
very  fact  that  this  wool  was  going  to  New  York  in  an  American 
barque,  under  the  imminency  of  capture,  which  our  presence  in 
these  seas — well  known  at  Buenos  Ayres  when  the  barque  sailed — 
must  have  shown,  that  the  property  is  American,  and  that  the  cer 
tificate  is  an  attempt  to  cover  it;  Mr.  Armstrong  probably  being 
a  brother  or  a  partner  in  the  transaction  with  some  American 
house.  Ship  and  cargo  condemned. 

FURTHER  EXAMINATION  OF  CASE  OF  CONRAD. 

From  an  examination  of  the  correspondence  in  this  case,  brought 
on  board  after  the  ship's  papers  had  been  examined,  it  appeared 
that  Mr.  Armstrong,  the  party  shipping  a  part  of  the  cargo,  swears 
before  his  consul  that  he  and  one  Don  Frederico  Elortaudo,  are  the 
owners  of  the  property,  and  swears  before  the  United  States  Consul 
that  he  is  the  sole  owner  of  the  property.  Both  of  these  oaths 
cannot  be  true.  It  further  appears  that,  whilst  the  property  in  the 
bill  of  lading  is  consigned  to  Simon  de  Visser,  Esq.,  in  the  letters 
of  Messrs.  Kirkland  and  Von  Sachs  it  is  spoken  of  as  consigned  to 
them.  The  letters  make  no  mention  of  any  joint-ownership  with 
Armstrong,  but  treat  the  consignment  as  his  sole  property. 


190       CRUISE   OF  THE   ALABAMA  AND   THE   SUMTER. 

But  though,  like  so  many  of  her  countrymen,  condemned,  the 
Conrad  was  not  to  die.  A  nobler  fate  was  in  store  for  her — no 
less  a  destiny  than  that  of  carrying  the  proud  young  flag  to  which 
she  had  succumbed,  and  taking  the  sea,  under  a  new  name,  as  the 
consort  of  her  captor.  Accordingly,  Acting-Lieutenant  Low  was 
appointed  to  the  command,  assisted  by  Acting-Master  Sinclair  and 
two  master's  mates.  The  two  rifled  pounders  captured  in  the 
Talisman  were  mounted  on  board,  a  due  complement  of  rifles,  re 
volvers,  ammunition,  &c.,  supplied,  and  then  the  transformed 
barque  fired  her  first  gun,  ran  up  the  Confederate  ensign  to  her 
peak,  and  amid  a  burst  of  cheering  from  her  own  crew  and  that  of 
her  consort,  made  a  fresh  start  in  life  as  the  Confederate  States 
sloop-of-war  Tuscaloosa. 

The  Alabama  was  now  bound  for  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope,  where 
her  faithful  tender,  the  Agrippina,  was  again  to  meet  her.  On  the 
27th  of  June,  however,  when  in  lat.  26^01  S.,  long.  28-29  W.,  it 
was  discovered  that  a  great  portion  of  the  supposed  month's  sup 
ply  of  bread  had  been  destroyed  by  weevils,  and  that  there  was 
not  enough  left  for  the  run.  A  visit  to  some  port  nearer  at  hand 
thus  became  inevitable,  and  the  ship's  course  was  accordingly 
shaped  for  Kio  Janeiro. 


CHAPTER  XXX. 

An  insult  to  the  Yankee  flag — Fine  weather — The  Anna  F.  Schmidt 
— "What  ship's  that?" — The  Express — A  supply  of  bread—  Sal- 
danha  Bay — Visitors  from  the  country — A  funeral — The  Tusca- 
loosa's  prize — The  capture  off  Cape  Town — The  Sea  Bride  icon — 
Ship  crowded — Sympathy. 

Sunday,  June  28th. — At  4.30  this  evening  brought-to  a  heavy 
ship  with  a  blank  cartridge;  or  rather  she  seemed  to  come-to  of 
her  own  accord,  as  she  was  evidently  outsailing  us,  and  was,  when 
we  fired,  at  very  long  range.  Soon  after  heaving-to  she  burned  a 
blue  light,  and  whilst  our  boat,  with  a  light  in  it,  was  pulling 
towards  her,  she  burned  another.  She  afterwards  said  she  would 
not  have  hove-to  but  that  she  thought  we  might  be  in  distress. 
The  boarding  officer  reported  us  as  the  United  States  ship  Daco- 
tah,  and  demanded  to  see  the  ship's  papers,  which  were  refused, 
the  Master  stating  that  we  had  no  right  to  see  his  papers.  The 
boarding  officer  having  been  informed  of  her  name  (the  Vernon), 


CRUISE   OF  THE   ALABAMA  AND  THE  SUMTER.       191 

and  that  she  was  from  Melbourne,  for  London,  and  being  satisfied, 
from  observation,  that  she  was  really  an  English  ship,  she  being 
one  of  the  well-known  frigate-built  Melbourne  packets,  returned  on 
board,  and  the  ship  filled  away ;  and  she  was  already  at  consider 
able  distance  from  us  when  I  received  the  boarding  officer's  report. 
Under  all  these  circumstances,  I  did  not  chase  him  afresh  to  en 
force  my  belligerent  right  of  search.  Cui  bono,  the  vessel  being 
really  English  ?  Although,  indeed,  the  resistance  to  search  by  a 
neutral  is  good  cause  of  capture,  I  could  only  capture  to  destroy  ; 
and  I  would  not  burn  an  English  ship  (being  satisfied  of  her 
nationality)  if  the  Master  persisted  to  the  law  in  not  showing  his 
papers.  Nor  did  I  feel  that  the  Confederate  States  flag  had  any 
insult  to  revenge,  as  the  insult,  if  any,  was  intended  for  the  Yankee 
flag.  Most  probably,  however,  the  ship  being  a  packet-ship,  and 
a  mail-packet,  the  Master  erred  from  ignorance. 

Lat.  26-35,  long.  32-59-30,  current  S.E.  thirty  miles ;  ship  roll 
ing  and  tumbling  about,  to  my  great  discomfort.  The  fact  is,  I 
am  getting  too  old  to  relish  the  rough  usage  of  the  sea.  Youth 
sometimes  loves  to  be  rocked  by  the  gale,  but  when  we  have 
passed  the  middle  stage  of  live,  we  love  quiet  and  repose. 

Tuesday,  June  30 th. — The  bad  weather  of  the  past  week  seems 
at  length  to  have  blown  itself  out ;  and  this  morning  we  have  the 
genial  sunshine  again,  and  a  clear,  bracing  atmosphere.  With  a 
solitary  exception,  the  Cape  pigeons,  true  to  their  natures,  have 
departed.  There  is  still  some  roughness  of  the  sea  left,  however, 
and  the  ship  is  rolling  and  creaking  her  bulk-heads,  as  usual. 
Wind  moderate  from1  about  East. 

Another  prize  on  the  2nd  of  July,  the  Anna,  F.  Schmidt,  of 
Maine,  from  Boston  for  San  Francisco ;  and  another  cautious  Yan 
kee  transformed  into  an  Englishman ;  and  then  came  a  large  ship 
flying  before  the  wind,  with  all  sail  set  to  her  royals,  and  answer 
ing  the  Alabama's  challenge  with  a  gun  from  her  own  bow  port. 

A  man-of-war  this,  from  her  fashion  of  replying,  even  had  the 
fact  not  been  sufficiently  apparent  from  the  cut  of  her  heavy  yards 
aud  lofty  spars.  An  enemy,  perhaps !  And  wild  with  the  hope 
of  a  fight,  though  it  be  with  an  enemy  not  much  less  than  double 
her  size,  away  flies  the  Alabama,  at  top  speed  of  sail  and  steam,  in 
chase.  The  sea  was  smooth,  though  with  a  strong  breeze  ;  and  ere 
long  the  saucy  little  cruiser  ranged  up  alongside  of  the  fine  frigate, 
with  ten  black  muzzles  grinning  through  Irs  ports  on  either  side. 

"  This  is  the  Confederate  States  ship  Alabama !"  rang  out  from 
the  quarter-deck,  as  the  two  ships  flew  through  the  water,  side  by 
side  : — "  What  ship's  that  ?" 

But  there  was  to  be  no  fight  that  day.     The  chase  contented 


192        CRUISE  OF  THE   ALABAMA  AND   THE  SUMTER. 

herself  with  the  laconic  reply,  "  Her  Britannic  Majesty's  ship  Dio- 
mede ;"  and  went  tearing  along  upon  her  course  under  the  tremen 
dous  press  of  canvas,  beneath  which  her  spars  were  bending  like 
a  whip,  and  was  soon  out  of  sight,  evidently  bound  on  some  errand 
that  would  not  brook  delay. 

Some  small  compensation  for  this  disappointment  was  found 
two  days  afterwards  in  the  capture  of  the  fine  ship  Express,  of 
Boston,  from  Callao  for  Antwerp,  loaded  with  guano,  the  particu 
lars  of  which  are  recorded  as  follows  : — 

CASE  OF  THE  SHIP  EXPRESS. 

Ship  under  United  States  colours  and  register ;  cargo  guano, 
shipped  by  Senan,  Valdeavellano  and  Co.,  at  Callao,  and  consigned 
to  J.  Sescau  and  Co.,  at  Antwerp.  On  the  back  of  this  bill  of  lad 
ing  is  the  following  endorsement :  "  Nous  soussignes  charge 
d'affaires  et  consul  general  de  France  a  Lima,  certifions  que  la 
chargement  de  mille  soixante  douze  de  register  de  Huano  specifie 
au  present  connaissement,  est  propriete  neutre." 

Fait  a  Lima,  le  27  Janvier,  1863. 
(Signed  and  impressed  with  the  Consular  seal.) 

This  certificate  fails  to  be  of  any  value  as  proof,  for  two  reasons  : 
first,  it  is  not  sworn  to ;  and  secondly,  it  simply  avers  the  property 
to  be  neutral  (the  greater  part  of  it,  for  it  does  not  touch  the 
guano  in  sacks),  instead  of  pointing  out  the  owner  or  owners.  A 
Consul  may  authenticate  evidence  by  his  seal,  but  when  he  de 
parts  from  the  usual  functions  of  a  Consul,  and  becomes  a  witness, 
he  must  give  his  testimony  under  oath,  like  other  witnesses.  This 
certificate,  therefore,  does  not  even  amount  to  an  ex  parte  affidavit. 
If  the  property  had  been  in  the  shipper's  or  consignee's  name,  it 
would  have  been  quite  as  easy  to  say  so  as  to  put  the  certificate  in 
its  present  shape.  Why,  then,  was  the  simple  declaration  that  the 
property  was  neutral  made  use  of? — the  law  with  which  every 
Consul,  and  more  especially  a  charge  d'affaires,  is  supposed  to  be 
acquainted  with,  declaring  them  to  be  insufficient  ?  The  conclu 
sion  from  these  two  facts — viz.,  that  there  was  no  oath  taken,  and 
that  there  was  no  owner  named — seemed  to  be  that  the  Consul 
gave  a  sort  of  matter-of-course  certificate,  upon  the  application  of 
some  one  who  declared  the  property  to  be  neutral,  perhaps  with  a 
knowledge  to  the  fact,  or  contrary  to  the  fact,  neither  party  tak 
ing  any  oath.  Now,  the  presumption  of  law  being,  that  goods 
found  in  an  enemy's  ship  belong  to  the  enemy,  unless  a  distinct 


CRUISE   OF   THE   ALABAMA  AND  THE   SUMTER.       193 

neutral  character  be  given  to  them,  by  pointing  out  the  real  owner, 
by  proper  documentary  proof,  as  neither  the  bill  of  lading  nor  the 
certificate,  which  is  a  mere  statement  of  a  fact,  like  the  bill  of  lad 
ing,  not  under  oath,  nor  the  Master's  testimony,  who  knows  noth 
ing  (see  his  deposition)  except  as  he  has  been  told  by  the  shipper, 
amounts  to  proper  documentary  proof,  the  ship  and  cargo  are 
both  condemned.  It  must  be  admitted  that  this  is  a  case  in  which, 
perhaps,  a  prize  court  would  grant  "further  proof;"  but  as  T  can 
not  do  this,  and  as  a  distinct  neutral  character  is  not  impressed 
upon  the  property  by  former  evidence,  I  must  net  under  the  pre 
sumption  of  law.  Sect,  3rd,  Phillimore,  596.  The  charter-party 
in  this  case  describes  the  charterers,  J.  Sescau  and  Co.,  of  Ant 
werp,  as  agents  of  the  supreme  Peruvian  Government.  But  if  so, 
why  was  it  not  certificated  by  the  government,  as  was  done  in  the 
case  of  the  Washington,  captured  and  released  on  bond  by  this 
ship  ?  And  then  the  master  swears  that  the  shippers  told  him  that 
the  cargo  belonged  to  them  ;  and  if  the  Peruvian  Government 
must  resort  to  a  French  official  for  a  certificate,  why  not,  then,  on 
oath  made  before  him  ?  and  why  did  he  not  state  the  fact  that  it 
so  belonged,  which  would  have  protected  it? 


The  Alabama  was  now  again  heading  for  the  Cape,  the  Anna 
Schmidt  having  yielded  a  supply  of  bread  sufficient,  with  strict 
economy,  to  last  out  the  passage.  There  she  arrived  on  the  29th 
July,  anchoring  in  Saldanha  Bay,  at  about  1.45  P.M. 

Thursday,  July  30th. — Last  night  the  sky  and  atmosphere 
were  singularly  brilliant.  Landed  this  morning  at  eight,  to  get 
sight  for  my  chronometers,  this  being  the  first  time  that  I  ever  set 
foot  on  the  Continent  of  Africa.  Saldanha  is  a  gloomy,  desert- 
looking  place,  the  shore  comprised  of  sand  and  rock,  without  trees, 
but  with  green  patches  here  and  there.  There  are  three  or  four 
farm-houses  in  sight,  scattered  over  the  hills.  The  farmers  here 
are  mostly  graziers.  The  cattle  are  fine  and  good ;  a  great  num 
ber  of  goats  graze  on  the  hills,  and  sheep-raising  is  extensive,  the 
mutton  being  particularly  fine.  Small  deer  are  abundant.  We 
had  a  venison  steak  for  breakfast.  The  little  islands  in  the  bay 
abound  in  rabbits,  and  there  is  good  pheasant-shooting  in  the 
valleys.  Already  a  party  of  officers  has  gone  out  to  stretch  their 
limbs,  and  enjoy  the  luxury  of  shooting. 

July  3lst. — Took  a  stroll  on  shore,  and  walked  round  some  fine 
oat-fields.  The  soil  resembles  our  hummock  land  in  Florida,  and 
produces  finely.  Engaged  caulking,  painting,  &c.  An  abundance 

9* 


194       CRUISE   OF  THE  ALABAMA  AND  THE  SUMTEB. 

of  wild-flowers  in  bloom.  Huge  blocks  of  granite  lie  about  the 
sand,  and  from  the  tops  of  projections,  <fec. 

Saturday,  Aug.  1st. — I  returned  on  board,  after  a  stroll  on  shore, 
at  2  P.M.  During  my  walk  I  met  some  farmers  in  a  four-horse 
waggon  coming  to  see  the  ship.  They  brought  me  a  wild.peacock 
— not  quite  so  large  as  our  wild  turkey.  It  was  without  the  gor 
geous  plumage  of  the  domestic  bird.  The  schooner  Atlas  came  in 
this  afternoon,  with  letters  for  me  from  some  merchants  at  Cape 
Town,  offering  their  services  to  supply  me  with  coal,  &c.,  and 
expressing  their  good-will,  <fec.,  <fcc.  I  took  occasion  by  this  ves 
sel,  which  returned  immediately,  to  write  to  the  Governor,  Sir 
Philip  E.  Wodehouse,  informing  him  of  my  presence  here. 

Sunday,  Aug.  2nd. — The  inhabitants  say  that  this  winter  has 
been  remarkable  for  its  general  good  weather,  and  for  the  few  gales 
they  have  had.  Crowds  of  country  people,  from  far  and  near, 
came  on  board  to  look  at  the  ship  to-day. 

Monday,  Aug.  3rd. — Another  crowd  of  visitors  to-day,  who 
came  in  their  country  waggons  and  on  horseback.  They  all  speak 
Dutch,  and  it  is  rare  to  find  one  among  them  who  speaks  English. 
Although  it  is  nearly  half  a  century  since  England  took  final  pos 
session  of  the  colony,  the  English  language  has  made  but  little 
progress,  the  children  being  taught  by  a  Dutch  schoolmaster,  and 
the  papers  being,  many  of  them,  printed  in  Dutch.  There  was  an 
intelligent  young  boer  (about  twenty-three)  among  them,  who  had 
never  been  on  board  a  ship  before.  He  was  quite  excited  by  the 
novelty  of  everything  he  saw.  Some  of  the  female  visitors  were 
plump,  ruddy,  Dutch  girls,  whose  large  rough  hands,  and  awkward 
bows  and  curtsies,  showed  them  to  be  honest  lasses  from  the  neigh* 
boring  farms,  accustomed  to  milking  the  cows  and  churning  the 
butter.  I  found  the  geranium  growing  wild  in  my  rambles  to-day. 
Just  as  we  were  going  to  sun-down  quarters,  a  boat  came  along 
side  with  the  body  of  Third  Assistant-engineer  Cummings,  who 
accidentally  shot  himself  with  his  gun, 

Tuesday,  Aug.  4th. — In  the  afternoon,  at  three,  the  funeral  pro 
cession  started  from  shore  with  the  body  of  the  deceased  engineer. 
He  was  taken  to  a  private  cemetery  about  a  mile  and  a  half  dis 
tant,  and  interred  with  the  honours  due  to  his  grade,  the  First 
Lieutenant  reading  the  funeral  service.  This  is  the  first  burial  we 
have  had  from  the  ship. 

Wednesday,  Aug.  5th. — At  6  A.M.  got  up  the  anchor,  and  get 
ting  under  way,  steamed  out  of  the  bay  and  shaped  our  course  for 
Cape  Town.  At  9.30  descried  a  sail  a  point  on  the  starboard 
bow,  and  at  10.30  came  up  with  and  sent  a  boat  on  board  of  the 
Confederate  barque  Tuscaloosa,  and  brought  Lieutenant  Lowe  on 


CRUISE   OF  THE   ALABAMA  AND   THE   SUMTER.        195 

board.  He  reported  having  captured,  on  the  31st  July  the  Amer 
ican  ship  Santee,  from  the  eastward,  laden  with  rice,  certificated 
as  British  property,  and  bound  tor  Falraouth.  He  released  her  on 
ransom  for  150,000  dollars.  I  directed  Lieutenant  Lowe  to  pro 
ceed  to  Simons  Bay  for  supplies.  Steamed  in  for  the  town.  At 
12.30  made  a  barque,  two  points  on  starboard  bow;  gave  chase, 
and  at  about  2  P.M.  came  up  with  and  hove  the  chase,  she  having 
up  United  States  colours.  This  was  a  close  pursuit,  as  the  barque 
was  not  more  than  five  or  six  miles  from  the  shore  when  we  came 
up  with  her.  The  Master  might  have  saved  himself  if  he  had 
stood  directly  in  for  the  land ;  but  we  ran  down  upon  him  under 
English  colours,  and  he  had  no  suspicion  of  our  character  until  it 
was  too  late.  The  United  States  consul  at  once  protested  against 
our  violation  of  British  waters  ( ! ).  The  Governor  telegraphed  to 
the  Admiral  (Walker),  at  Simon's  Bay,  to  send  a  man-of-war 
round ;  and  about  10  P.M.  her  Majesty's  steam-ship  Valorous, 
Captain  Forsyth,  came  in  and  anchored.  Some  correspondence 
has  passed  between  the  Governor  and  myself  on  the  subject  of  the 
capture,  and  I  believe  he  is  satisfied  as  to  distance,  &c.  Put  a 
prize  crew  on  board  the  prize  (Sea  Bride),  and  directed  her  to 
stand  off  and  on  until  further  orders.  The  moment  our  anchor 
was  dropped  we  were  crowded  with  visitors. 

Thursday ',  Aug.  6th. — Notwithstanding  the  bad  weather,  the 
ship  has  been  crowded  with  visitors  all  the  morning,  and  my  cabin 
has  been  constantly  filled  with  people  pressing  to  shake  hands 
with  me,  and  to  express  sympathy  for  my  cause.  During  the 
night  we  had  some  thunder  and  lightning,  first  from  the  S.E.,  and 
then  from  the  N.W. ;  and  the  wind  springing  up,  very  gently  at 
first,  freshened  to  a  gale  by  morning,  with  showers  of  rain  arid  hail. 
Communicated  with  the  prize,  and  directed  the  Prizemaster,  in 
case  he  should  be  blown  off  by  a  gale,  to  rendezvous  at  Saldanha 
Bay  by  the  fifteenth  of  the  month.  Captain  Forsyth,  of  the  Val 
orous,  came  on  board.  Returned  his  visit. 

Friday,  Aug.  *lth. — I  should  have  been  under  way  for  Simons 
Bay  this  morning  but  for  the  gale.  The  wind  is  blowing  very 
fresh  from  northward  and  westward,  with  dense  clouds  climbing 
up  and  over  the  Table,  Lion's  head,  &c. — presenting  a  very  fine 
spectacle,  with  the  rough  waters,  the  ships  with  struck  upper 
yards,  and  the  town  half  enveloped  with  flying  mists,  &c.  The 
bold  watermen  in  all  the  gale  are  cruising  about  the  bay  under 
reefed  sails,  some  of  them  with  anchors  and  cables,  ready  to  assist 
any  ships  that  may  require  it.  Last  night,  in  the  first  watch,  a 
sail  was  .reported  to  be  on  the  shore  near  the  lighthouse  and  firing 
signal  guns.  Very  soon  we  saw  two  or  three  boats  put  out  to  her 


196       CRUISE   OF  THE   ALABAMA  AND  THE  SUMTER. 

assistance.  In  the  morning  we  heard  that  it  was  a  Brazilian  brig, 
and  that  the  crew  was  saved.  The  brig  is  fast  breaking  up  in  the 
gale. 


CHAPTER  XXXI. 

Wrecked! — A  narrow  escape — Respect  for  neutral  waters — The 
Martha  Wenzell — At  the  Cape — Dense  fogs — Heavy  weather — 
"Are  you  a  vessel  of  war?" — Firmness  and  obstinacy — Simon's 
Town — Misrepresentations — A  little  rest — Land-sharks — A  night, 
scene — To  the  Indian  Ocean — The  barque  Amanda. 

Saturday,  August  Sth,  1863. — The  gale  broke  last  night,  but 
there  is  still  some  breeze  blowing,  and  the  sea  is  quite  rough. 
Last  night  a  Bremen  brig  was  wrecked  off  Point  Monille.  We 
heard  her  firing  guns,  and  I  feared  at  first  it  was  our  prize  ;  and 
yet  I  could  not  conceive  how  my  Prizemaster,  who  was  acquainted 
with  the  soundings,  could  have  made  such  a  mistake.  The  weather 
has  checked  the  throng  of  visitors,  and  yet  a  few  get  off  to  us, 
asking  for  autographs,  and  looking  curiously  at  the  ship.  We  are 
finishing  our  repairs,  and  getting  supplies  on  board.  Our  prize 
has  not  made  her  appearance  to-day.  She  will  rendezvous  at 
Saldanha  Bay  on  the  15th  inst. 

Sunday,  August  9th,  1863. — Weather  has  again  become  fine. 
At  6  A.M.  precisely,  we  moved  out  of  the  bay,  and  steamed  along 
the  coast  towards  the  Cape.  We  gave  chase  to  two  sail  off  the 
mouth  of  False  Bay,  and  overhauling  them,  one  proved  to  be 
an  English,  and  the  other  an  American  barque.  The  latter 
we  boarded ;  but  when  I  came  to  get  bearings  and  plof  my  posi 
tion,  it  unfortunately 'turned  out  that  I  was  within  a  mile,  or  a 
mile  and  a  quarter,  of  a  line  drawn  from  the  Cape  Lighthouse  to 
the  opposite  headland  of  the  bay,  and  therefore  within  the  pre 
scribed  limit  of  jurisdiction.  The  master  of  the  barque,  in  the 
^  meantime,  having  come  on  board,  I  informed  him  of  those  facts, 
and  told  him  to  return  to,  and  take  possession  of  his  ship,  as  I 
had  no  authority  to  exercise  any  control  over  him  ;  which  he  did, 
and  in  a  few  minutes  more,  we  were  under  steam  standing  up  the 
bay.  What  a  scene  for  the  grim  old  Cape  to  look  down  upon. 
The  vessel  boarded  was  the  Martha  Wenzell,  of  Boston,  from 
Akyab  for  Falmouth.  At  2  P.M.  anchored  in  Simon's  Bay,  and 
was  boarded  by  a  Lieutenant  from  the  flag-ship  of^Admiral 
Walker. 


CRUISE   OF   THE   ALABAMA  AND   THE   SUMTER.       197 

Monday,  August  Wth. — Weather  fine.  I  called  on  Admiral 
Walker  at  his  residence,  and  was  presented  by  him  to  his  family, 
and  spent  an  agreeable  half  hour  with  them,  giving  them  a  brief 
outline  of  our  quarrel  and  war.  Dined  on  board  the  Chinese 
gun-boat  Kwang-Tung,  Commander  Young.  This  is  one  of  Laird's 
side-wheel  steamers,  built  for  Captain  Sherrard  Osborne's  fleet. 
Capt.  Bickford,  of  the  Narcissus,  and  Lieut.  Wood,  flag  Lieutenant, 
dined  with  us. 

Tuesday,  August  llth. — Weather  fine.  Visited  the  flagship 
of  Bear-Admiral  Sir  Baldwin  W.  Walker  and  the  Kwang-Tung. 
Employed  caulking  and  refitting  ship.  Many  visitors  on  board. 

Wednesday,  A.ugust  11th. — Wind  fresh  from  the  southward 
and  eastward.  Photographers  and  visitors  on  board.  The  Kwang- 
Tung  made  a  trial  trip  of  her  engines,  after  having  repaired 
them,  with  the  Admiral's  family  on  board.  Wind  freshened  to  a 
gale  towards  night. 

Thursday,  August  13th. — Weather  cloudy  ;  blowing  a  moderate 
gale  from  the  S.E.  The  Tuscaloosa  is  ready  for  sea,  but  is  de 
tained  by  the  weather.  Dined  with  Rear-Admiral  Walker ;  Gov 
ernor  Sir  Philip  Wodehouse  and  lady  were  of  the  party.  My 
sailors  are  playing  the  devil  as  usual.  They  manage  to  get  liquor 
on  board  the  ship,  and  then  become  insubordinate  and  unruly. 
We  have  to  force  some  of  them  into  irons.  The  man  Weir, 
whom  I  made  a  Quartermaster,  has  run  off;  also  two  of  the 
Stewards,  and  two  dingy  boys ;  the  latter  were  apprehended  and 
brought  on  board. 

Friday,  August  14th. — We  have  a  dense  fog  to-day  and  calm. 
The  Tuscaloosa,  which  went  out  at  daylight,  anchored  some  four 
or  five  miles  outside  the  harbour.  The  mail  steamer  from  Eng 
land  arrived  at  Cape  Town  to-day,  bringing  us  news  of  Lee's  in 
vasion  of  Maryland  and  Pennsylvania.  Finished  our  repairs  this 
evening. 

Saturday,  August  15th. — We  were  ready  to  get  under  way  at 
daylight  this  morning,  but  were  delayed  by  the  dense  fog  until 
eleven  o'clock,  when  we  moved  out  of  the  harbour.  As  we 
neared  the  Cape  another  fog  bank  rolled  over  and  enveloped  us 
for  a  couple  of  hours.  At  2.30,  boarded  an  English  barque.  At 
3,  let  the  steam  go  down,  and  raised  the  propeller.  Weather 
threatening.  Barometer  29'80.  Took  single  reefs  in  the  topsails. 
At  1 1  P.M.  a  steamer  passed  close  to  leeward  of  us. 

Light  winds  and  thick  weather  now  for  rather  more  than  a 
week,  varied  by  a  stiff  northwester  on  the  22nd  August,  lasting 
over  the  greater  part  of  two  days. 

Tuesday,   August    25th. — Dense,    cloudy   morning.       Got   a 


198       CRUISE   OF  THE  ALABAMA  AND  THE  SUMTER. 

glimpse  of  the  sun  and  latitude  at  twelve  o'clock.  Our  fresh 
water  condenser  is  about  giving  out,  the  last  supply  of  water  being 
so  salt  as  to  be  scarcely  drinkable.  This  will  be  a  serious  disaster 
for  us  if  we  cannot  remedy  it  at  Cape  Town,  for  we  have  no  tank 
room  for  more  than  eight  days'  supply,  and  no  place  to  store 
casks  except  on  deck,  where  they  would  interfere  with  the  guns. 
And  so  I  have  borne  up  to  run  for  Angra  Pequena,  where  I  ex 
pect  to  pick  up  my  prize-crew  that  I  may  return  to  Simon's  Bay 
to  see  what  can  be  done,  without  further  delay.  I  am  quite 
knocked  up  with  cold  and  fever,  but  sick  as  I  may  be,  I  can  never 
lie  by  and  be  quiet,  the  demands  of  duty  being  inexorable  and 
incessant. 

Thursday,  August  2  7  th. — Morning  fine  ;  made  all  sail  at  early 
daylight  and  stood  in  for  the  land,  having  every  promise  of  get 
ting  latitude 'at  meridian  for  position,  and  running  in  to  an  anchor 
early  in  the  afternoon.  But  an  ominous  fog-bank,  that  we  had 
noticed  hanging  over  the  land  for  a  short  time  before,  suddenly 
enveloped  us  at  eight,  and  shut  us  in  so  completely  as  to  render 
it  difficult  to  see  a  hundred  yards  in  any  direction ;  the  wind  the 
while  blowing  fresh  from  the  south ;  weather  cool  and  uncomfort-- 
able,  and  the  rigging  dripping  rain.  Hove  to,  and  awaited  anx 
iously  the  disappearance  of  the  fog ;  but  hour  after  hour  passed, 
and  still  no  change — six,  seven  bells  struck,  and  the  fog  appeared 
to  grow  more  dense,  and  the  wind  to  increase ;  wore  ship,  and 
put  her  head  off  shore ;  went  below,  and  turned  in,  in  supreme 
disgust.  At  1.30  aroused  by  the  report  that  there  was  a  topsail 
schooner  close  aboard.  She  ran  down  for  us,  when  we  backed 
main  topsail,  and  sent  a  boat  and  brought  the  Master  on  board. 
Being  like  ourselves  bound  for  Angra,  he  consented  to  pilot  us  in. 
Filled  away,  and  made  sail.  We  were  to-day,  at  noon,  by  com 
putation,  W.S.W.  from  Pedestal  Point  (Angra) ;  distance  about 
ten  miles.  The  fog  continued  most  relentlessly  until  4  P.M.,  when 
it  disappeared,  and  we  wore  ship  for  the  land,  and  were  probably 
on  the  point  of  making  it  just  at  sunset,  when  the  fog  came  on 
again,  and  enveloped  everything  in  impenetrable  darkness.  Wore 
ship  seaward,  and  stood  off  and  on  during  the  night :  the  weather 
blustering. 

Friday,  August  28th. — Morning  cloudy,  wind  blowing  half  a 
gale.  At  8.50  took  a  single  reef  in  the  topsail — the  schooner  in 
sight  to  leeward.  At  9.30  made  the  land,  and  soon  came  in  full 
view  of  it.  My  would-be  pilot  could  not  recognise  it,  until  the 
schooner,  having  run  in  ahead  of  us,  ran  down  to  leeward,  by 
which  we  knew  that  she  had  made  out  our  position.  I  followed 
her,  and  ran  in,  and  anchored  in  Sheerwater  Bay ;  my  pilot  being 


CRUISE   OF  THE   ALABAMA   AND  THE   SUMTER.       199 

of  no  sort  of  assistance  to  me,  he  seeming  to  have  a  very  imper 
fect  knowledge  of  the  locality.  Soon  after  anchoring,  a  boat 
came  out  of  the  lagoon  to  us,  and  we  recognised  some  of  our 
prize-crew  of  the  Sea  Bride  in  her. 

In  effect  the  Tuscaloosa  and  the  prize  had  both  been  three  days 
in  the  harbour  of  Angra  Pequena.  In  the  afternoon  we  got  up 
our  anchor  again,  and  ran  into  the  lagoon,  and  anchored  near  the 
Sea  Bride  in  seven  fathoms  of  water.  A  number  of  the  officers 
are  off  this  evening  to  visit  the  Tuscaloosa — no  doubt  to  get  a 
good  drink  of  fresh  water.  I  have  sent  my  pitcher  for  some,  be 
ing  nearly  parched  up  with  the  salt-water  we  have  been  drinking 
for  the  last  three  days.  We  are  lying  in  smooth  water,  in  a  snug 
harbour,  and  I  hope  to  get  what  I  have  not  had  for  several 
nights — a  good  night's  rest.  A  more  bleak  and  comfortless  pros 
pect,  in  the  way  of  landscape,  could  scarcely  present  itself  to  the 
eye.  Nothing  but  land  and  rock — not  a  sprig  of  vegetation  of 
any  kind  to  be  seen.  In  fact  it  never  rains  here,  and  this  is  con 
sequently  a  guano  region.  We  passed  a  bank  of  guano  in  Halifax 
island,  a  shanty,  a  few  labourers,  and  a  large  army  of  penguins 
spread  out  with  much  solemnity  on  the  island. 

Saturday,  August  2,9th. — Getting  on  board  flour,  <fec.,  from  the 
Sea  Bride,  and  water  from  the  schooner — 1500  gallons,  which 
will  enable  us  to  cruise  some  twenty  days.  Hauled  a  borrowed 
sieve  in  the  afternoon,  and  caught  a  fine  lot  of  fish. 

Sunday,  August  30th. — At  10.30  mustered  the  crew,  and 
landed  James  Adams,  O.S.,  discharged  by  sentence  of  court-mar 
tial,  with  forfeiture  of  pay  and  prize-money. 

Monday,  August  3lst. — At  7  A.M.  got  under  way,  and  stood  out 
of  the  harbour. 

The  Alabama  was  now  visited  by  a  succession  of  the  heavy 
gales  prevalent  during  winter  time  in  the  neighbourhood  of  the 
Cape.  On  the  7th  Sept. — Captain  Semmes  writes — we  had  a 
rough,  ugly  night  of  it,  with  a  continuance,  and  even  increase  of 
the  gale,  and  a  short  and  abrupt  sea,  in  which  the  ship  occa 
sionally  rolled  and  pitched  with  violence,  frequently  thumping  my 
cot  against  the  beams  overhead  and  awaking  me.  Shipped 
large  quantities  of  water  through  the  propeller  well ;  cabin-deck 
leaking. 

Tuesday,  September  8th. — Weather  cloudy,  the  sun  shining 
faintly  through  the  grey  mass.  Gale  continues ;  the  wind  (E.S.E.) 
not  having  varied  a  hair  for  the  last  sixteen  hours.  Barometer 
gradually  falling ;  ship  rolling  and  pitching  in  the  sea,  and  all 
things  dreary-looking  and  uncomfortable.  I  am  supremely  dis- 


200      CRUISE   OF  THE   ALABAMA   AND  THE  SUMTER. 

gnsted  with  the  sea  and  all  its  belongings ;  the  fact  is,  I  am  past 
the  age  when  men  ought  to  be  subjected  to  the  hardships  and 
discomforts  of  the  sea.  Seagoing  is  one  of  those  constant  strifes 
which  none  but  the  vigorous,  the  hardy,  and  the  hopeful — in 
short,  the  youthful,  or  at  most,  the  middle-aged — should  be  en 
gaged  in.  The  very  roar  of  the  wind  through  the  rigging,  with 
its  accompaniments  of  rolling  and  tumbling,  hard,  overcast  skies, 
gives  me  the  blues.  This  is  a  double  anniversary  with  me.  It 
was  on  the  8th  of  September  that  I  received  my  first  order  for 
sea-service  (1826) ;  and  it  was  on  the  8th  of  September  that  Nor 
ton's  Division  fought  the  battle  of  Moline  del  Ray  (1847).  What 
a  history  of  the  United  States  has  to  be  written  since  the  last 
event !  How  much  of  human  weakness  and  wickedness  and  folly 
has  been  developed  in  these  years!  But  the  North  will  receive 
their  reward,  under  the  inevitable  and  rigorous  laws  of  a  just 
government  of  the  world. 

Another  week  passed  with  a  solitary  excitement  in  the  shape  of 
an  obstinate  English  skipper,  who  stoutly  refused  to  heave  to. 
The  following  account  of  this  affair  is  extracted  from  the  journal 
of  one  of  the  Alabama's  officers  : — 

Towards  evening  of  the  10th  of  September  the  wind  fell  con 
siderably.  At  8.30  P.M.  a  sail  in  sight  on  weather  bow.  Imme 
diately  we  turned  to  windward,  and  stood  in  chase.  At  9.45  fired 
a  gun  to  heave  chase  to.  Chase,  however,  still  kept  on  her  course. 
At  10.35  we  ran  up  alongside,  and  the  officer  of  the  deck  hailed 
her — '•*  Ship  ahoy  !"  "  Halloa !  heave  to,  and  I  will  send  a  boat  on 
board."  "  What  do  you  want  me  to  heave  to  for  ?"  "  That's  my 
business."  "Are  you  a  vessel  of  war?"  Captain  Semmes  then 
waxing  wroth,  replied,  "  I'll  give  you  five  minutes  to  heave  to  in." 
"  You  have  no  right  to  heave  me  to  unless  you  tell  me  who  you 
are."  "  I'll  let  you  know  who  I  am."  To  officer  of  the  deck  — 
"  Load  that  gun  with  shot,  sir,  and  rain  on  that  fellow — he's  stupid 
enough  to  be  a  foreigner."  '<  Tell  me  who  you  are,"  yelled  out  the 
master  of  the  ship.  "  If  you  are  not  hove  to  in  five  minutes  I'll 
fire  into  you."  Addressing  the  officer  of  the  watch,  Captain 
Semmes  asked,  "  Is  that  gun  ready  for  firing,  sir  ?"  "  All  ready, 
sir."  "  Then  stand  by  to  fire." 

The  Captain  of  the  ship  beginning  to  realize  the  fact  that  we 
were  in  earnest,  rolled  out  a  volley  of  oaths,  not  only  loud,  but 
deep  also.  That  little  ebullition  being  finished,  he  hauled  his 
mainsail  up  and  lay  to.  Captain  Semmes  then  gave  me  orders  to 
board  and  ascertain  who  the  vessel  was,  as  the  reluctance  to  heave 
to  was  suspicious  in  itself. 

On  boarding,  the  Mate  met  me  at  the  gangway  and  introduced 


CRUISE  OF  THE  ALABAMA  AND  THE  SUMTER.       201 

me  to  a  tall,  burly  man,  who  proved  to  be  the  Master.  With  the 
utmost  suavity  I  inquired,  "  What  ship  is  this  ?"  "  WTho  are  you  ?" 
he  blurted  out.  "What  ship  is  this,  captain?'*  I  repeated.  "I 
sha'n't  tell  you,"  was  the  polite  reply.  '^Captain,  what  vessel  is 
this  2"  "  Are  you  a  man-of-war  ?"  asked  he.  "  Of  course  we  are," 
replied  I.  "Who  are  you?"  queried  he. 

With  the  greatest  distinctness  possible,  and  with  the  utmost 
sternness,  I  said,  "  We  are — we  are  the  United  States  steamer 
Iroquois,  Captain  Palmer,  on  a  cruise ;  and  now,  having  told  you 
this,  I  have  something  more  to  tell  you — namely,  that  I  ain  come 
on  board  to  ask  questions,  not  to  answer  them  ;  further,  I  have 
asked  you  three  times  who  you  are,  and  have  not  yet  received  an 
answer.  So  just  step  down  into  the  cabin,  and  produce  the  ship's 
papers." 

With  a  very  ill  grace  he  descended  into  the  cabin,  I  following, 
and  I  had  just  removed  my  cap  when  he  roared  out,  "  Who  are 
you  ?  Are  you  English  ?  Say  you  are  an  English  man-of-war, 
and  I  will  let  you  look  at  my  papers."  Said  I,  "Captain,  either 
you  are  crazy,  or  else  you  think  I  am.  Here  we  fire  a  gun,  and 
any  man  with  a  grain  of  sense  would  have  understood  that  it  was 
meant  for  a  ship  to  heave  to,  more  especially  when  a  nation  is  at 
war.  You  are  told  to  heave  to,  are  boarded,  and  asked  a  question. 
Instead  of  replying,  you  ask,  perfectly  savagely,  *  Who  are  you  ?' 
I  tell  you  we  are  the  United  States  ship  Iroquois,  and  then  you 
ask,  *  Are  you  English  ?  Tell  me  you  are  an  English  man-of-war  !' 
It's  absurd,  I  tell  you." 

"Mr.  Officer,"  yelled  he,  "' crazy !'  'sense!'  'absurd!'  By 
G — d,  sir,  if  an  English  man-of-war  were  here,  no  Yankee  dare  set 
foot  on  this  deck,  sir.  Who  are  you?"  "Captain,"  I  said  to  the 
man,  "it  is  time  this  piece  of  folly  were  ended.  Now  understand 
me.  Look  at  that  clock :  it  wants  twelve  minutes  to  eleven ;  I 
want  to  see  your  papers ;  I  give  you  two  minutes  to  produce  them 
in.  If,  at  ten  minutes  to  eleven,  the  papers  are  not  forthcoming, 
I  shall  adopt  measures  to  place  them  in  my  possession." 

I  then  sat  down.  Question  after  question  did  the  worthy  skip 
per  ask,  but  no  reply  did  I  deign  to  give.  At  length  it  wanted 
but  a  few  seconds  to  the  time  specified,  when  with  a  bad  grace  the 
irate  Master  produced  his  key,  unlocked  his  safe,  and  brought 
forth  his  papers.  Upon  examination  I  found  it  was  the  ship 
Flora,  of  and  to  Liverpool,  from  Manilla,  with  a  general  cargo. 

While  looking  over  his  papers,  a  ceaseless  string  of  interroga 
tions  was  kept  up  by  the  Master,  to  which  I  returned  no  answer, 
merely  returning  the  papers,  and  remarking  that  he  had  given 
himself  and  us  also,  some  really  causeless  detention.  "  Have  you 


202      CRUISE  OF  THE  ALABAMA  AND  THE  SUMTER. 

any  news,  captain  ?"  I  asked.  "  Yes,  I  have  some  news ;  news 
that  some  three  or  four  of  you  would  like  to  be  acquainted  with, 
but  news  that  one  of  you  would  rather  not  know.  But  I'd  see 
you  Yankees  sunk  forty  fathoms  deep  before  I  would  tell  you  it." 
44  Come,  captain,  don't  be  uncharitable  ;  you  know  what  is  writ 
ten  in  the  Bible." 

He  then  went  on  to  state  what  a  bad  passage  he  had  made  so 
far,  having  met  with  a  succession  of  baffling  winds  ever  since  he 
had  left  Manilla ;  that  he  had  made  all  sail  for  a  fair  wind,  and 
which  had  only  lasted  for  a  few  hours,  the  wind  coming  ahead 
again  ;  and  it  looking  threatening,  he  had  reduced  sail  considera 
bly,  and  was  making  but  slow  progress  when  he  was  stopped 
by  us. 

"  Stopped  by  a  Yankee,  too  !  That's  something  I  won't  forget 
in  a  hurry,"  said  he. 

I  could  not  help  laughing  at  the  "  offended  majesty"  air  he 
assumed,  and  wishing  him  a  speedy  passage,  returned  on  board. 
From  one  of  my  boat's  crew  I  learnt  that  the  Flora  had  either 
seen  or  been  boarded  a  couple  of  days  ago  by  a  two-masted  long- 
funnelled  steamer,  supposed  by  the  Master  to  have  been  a  Confed 
erate,  though  showing  Yankee  colours. 

Wednesday,  September  IQth. — At  3  P.M.  doubled  the  Cape  of 
Good  Hope  and  steamed  into  the  anchorage  at  Simon's  Town, 
which  we  reached  at  about  4.30  P.M.  The  Vanderbilt  had  left  on 
Friday  last,  and  was  reported  to  have  hovered  near  the  Cape  for  a 
day  or  two.  Greatly  disarranged  by  the  news  from  home — 
Vicksburg  and  Port  Hudson  fallen  ;  Rosecrans'  army  marching 
southwards ;  and  Lee  having  recrossed  the  Potomac.  Our  poor 
people  seem  to  be  terribly  pressed  by  the  Northern  hordes. 

But  we  shall  fight  it  out  to  the  end,  and  the  end  will  be  what 
an  all-wise  Providence  shall  decree. 

Thursday,  September  17 th. — Called  on  the  Admiral,  and  re 
ceived  a  visit  from  the  Captain  of  the  Narcissus. 

Various  misrepresentations  had  been  made  to  the  Admiral  as  to 
rny  proceedings  since  I  left,  &c.,  by  the  United  States  Consul, 
which  I  explained  away.  Spent  an  agreeable  half-hour  with  the 
Admiral  and  his  lady.  There  being  no  coal  here — the  Vander 
bilt  having  taken  it  all — I  made  arrangements  for  it  to  be  sent  to 
me  from  Cape  Town. 

Saturday,  September  \Qth. — The  steamer  Kadie  arrived  toith 
coals  for  me  from  Cape  Town.  Hauled  her  alongside,  and  com 
menced  coaling.  Walked  on  shore,  and  lunched  with  Captain 
Bickford.  Dispatched  letters  for  the  mail-steamer  for  England. 


CRUISE  OF  THE  ALABAMA  AND   THE   SUMTER.       203 

Liberty-men  drunk,  and  few  returning.  Dined  with  the  Admiral. 
A  very  pleasant  party,  composed  entirely  of  naval  officers,  includ 
ing  the  Captains  of  the  ships  present,  the  Captain-superintendent 
of  the  dockyard,  <fcc.  After  dinner  the  young  ladies  made  their 
appearance  in  the  drawing-room,  and  we  had  some  music. 

Sunday,  September  2Qth. — Hauled  the  ship  over  to  get  at  the 
copper  around  the  blow-pipe,  which  was  worn  off.  Visited  the 
shore  at  halt-past  nine,  took  a  long  walk,  dropped  in  upon  the 
Post-captain,  and  went  to  church — Father  Kiernan  saying  mass. 
He  is  an  earnest,  simple-minded  Irish  priest,  with  a  picturesque 
little  church  on  the  hill-side,  and  a  small  congregation  composed 
chiefly  of  soldiers  and  sailors — a  seaman  serving  mass.  Captain 
Coxon  and  a  couple  of  the  Lieutenants  of  the  squadron  being 
present.  Liberty-men  returning  in  greater  numbers  to-day — the 
money  is  giving  out. 

Monday,  September  2lst. — At  daylight,  hauled  the  steamer 
alongside  again,  and  recommenced  coaling.  Called  to  see  the 
ladies  at  the  Admiral's  after  dinner,  and  walked  through  their 
quite  extensive  garden,  winding  up  a  ravine  with  a  rapid  little 
stream  of  water  passing  through  it. 

Tuesday,  September  22nd. — A  large  number  of  liberty-men  on 
shore  yet.  The  Yankee  Consul,  with  his  usual  unscrupulousness, 
is  trying  to  persuade  them  to  desert.  With  one  or  two  exceptions, 
the  whole  crew  have  broken  their  liberty — petty  officers  and  all. 
With  many  improvements  in  the  character  of  the  seaman  of  the 
present  day,  in  regard  to  intelligence,  he  is,  in  some  respects,  as 
bad  as  ever.  Finished  coaling  this  evening. 

Wednesday,  September  23rd.  —  Refitting  the  fore-topmasts. 
Some  twenty  men  still  absent.  A  few  are  picked  up  by  the 
Simon's  Town  police  for  the  sake  of  the  reward.  And  the  sailor- 
landlords,  those  pests  of  all  sea-ports,  are  coming  on  board  and 
presenting  bills  for  board,  <fec.  Of  course  these  claims  are  not 
listened  to.  It  is  a  common  contrivance  with  Jack  and  these 
sharks,  to  endeavor  to  extort  money  out  of  their  ships. 

The  process  is  simple  enough.  The  landlord  gives  Jack  a  glass 
or  two  of  bad  liquor,  and  it  may  be,  a  meal  or  two,  and  it  is 
agreed  between  them  that  a  bill  of  twenty  times  the  value  re 
ceived  shall  be  acknowledged.  The  land- shark  charges  in  this 
exorbitant  way  for  the  risk  he  runs  of  not  being  able  to  get  any 
thing,  so  he  has  nothing  to  complain  pf  when  he  happens  to  come 
across  a  captain  who  is  disposed  to  protect  his  seamen  from  such 
extortion.  Knowing  the  villains  well,  I  did  not  permit  them  to 
impose  upon  me. 

Thursday,  September  24th. — Waiting  for  the  chance  of  getting 


204   CRUISE  OF  THE  ALABAMA  AND  THE  SUMTER. 

over  my  deserters  from  Cape  Town.  Informed  by  telegraph,  in 
the  afternoon,  that  it  was  useless  to  wait  longer,  as  the  police  de 
clined  to  act.  It  thus  appears  that  the  authorities  declined  to 
enable  me  to  recover  my  men — fourteen  in  number,  enough  to 
cripple  my  crew.  This  is  another  of  those  remarkable  interpreta 
tions  of  neutrality  in  which  John  Bull  seems  to  be  so  particularly 
fertile.  Informed  by  telegrams  from  Cape  Town  that  vessels  had 
arrived  reporting  the  Vanderbilt  on  two  successive  days  off  Cape 
Aguthas  and  Point  Danger.  The  moon  being  near  its  full,  I 
preferred  not  to  have  her  blockade  me  in  Simon's  Bay,  as  it  might 
detain  me  until  I  should  have  a  "  dark  moon,"  and  being  all  ready 
for  sea,  this  would  have  been  irksome;  so  the  gale  having  lulled 
somewhat,  towards  9  P.M.,  I  ordered  steam  to  be  got  up,  and  at 
half-past  eleven,  we  moved  out  from  our  anchors. 

The  lull  only  deceived  us,  as  we  had  scarcely  gotten  under  way, 
before  the  gale  raged  with  increased  violence,  and  we  were  obliged 
to  buffet  it  with  ail  the  force  of  our  four  boilers.  The  wind  blew 
fiercely ;  but  still  we  drove  her  between  five  and  six  knots  per 
hour  in  the  very  teeth  of  it. 

Nothing  could  exceed  the  peculiar  weird-like  aspect  of  the 
scene,  as  we  struggled  under  the  full  moonlight  with  the  midnight 
gale.  The  surrounding  mountains  and  high  lands,  seemingly  at  a 
great  distance  in  the  hazy  atmosphere,  had  their  tops  piled  with 
banks  of  fleecy  clouds,  remaining  as  motionless  as  snow-banks, 
which  they  very  much  resembled — the  cold  south  wind  assisting 
the  illusion;  the  angry  waters  of  the  bay  breaking  in  every  di 
rection,  occasionally  dashing  on  board  of  us;  the  perfectly  clear 
sky,  with  no  sign  of  a  cloud  anywhere  to  be  seen,  except  those 
piled  on  the  mountains  already  mentioned  ; — the  bright  full  moon 
shedding  her  mysterious  rays  on  all  surrounding  objects — illumi 
nating,  yet  distancing  them — all  these  were  things  to  be  remem 
bered.  And  last,  the  revolving  light  on  the  Cape,  at  regular  in 
tervals,  lighting  up  the  renowned  old  headland. 

We  passed  the  Cape  at  about  3  A.M.,  and  bearing  away  gave 
her  the  trysails  reduced  by  their  bonnets,  and  close-reefed  top 
sails  ;  and  I  turned  in  to  snatch  a  brief  repose,  before  the  trials  of 
another  day  should  begin. 

Friday,  September  25 th. — Delivered  the  jail,  as  usual,  upon 
getting  to  sea.  It  will  take  several  days,  I  am  afraid,  to  work 
the  grog  out  of  the  crew,  before  they  are  likely  to  settle  down 
into  good  habits  and  cheerfulness. 

The  next  fortnight's  run  through  the  heavy  gales  that  prevail 
almost  incessantly  in  the  higher  latitudes  of  the  Indian  Ocean, 
brought  the  Alabama  some  2400  miles  upon  her  course.  Two 


CRUISE   OF   THE   ALABAMA   AND   THE   SUMTER.       205 

days  more  brought  her  off  tlie  Island  of  St.  Paul's,  a  distance  of 
2840  miles.  Another  couple  of  days,  and  she  had  made  about 
sufficient  easting,  and  began  to  shape  her  course  towards  the 
north — the  "  sunny  north." 

A  few  short  extracts  from  the  journal  will  give  sufficient  idea 
of  the  period  thus  passed  through  : — 

October  \§th. — Lat.  35'23  ;  Long.  89'55  ;  no  observations  for 
current;  distance  some  135  miles.  The  gale  in  which  we  lay-to 
ten  hours,  having  broken  in  upon  our  day's  work.  Bar.  29'57, 
and  on  a  stand  ;  running  before  the  wind,  under  close-reef  and 
reefed  foresail.  Afternoon  gale  increased,  and  between  twelve 
and  one  it  blew  furiously,  the  whole  sea  being  a  sheet  of  foam, 
the  air  rendered  misty  by  the  spray,  and  the  heavy  seas  threaten 
ing  to  jump  on  board  of  us,  although  we  were  scudding  at  the 
rate  of  very  little  less  than  fifteen  knots — the  whole  accompanied 
by  an  occasional  snow-squall  from  dark,  threatening-looking 
clouds.  It  is  not  often  that  a  wilder  scene  is  beheld :  in  the 
meantime  the  Cape  pigeons  are  whirling  around  us,  occasionally 
poising  themselves  against  the  stern,  as  serenely,  apparently,  as  if 
the  elements  were  at  rest.  The  barometer  has  remained  perfectly 
stationary  at  29*57  during  this  blow  for  seven  hours  (from  morn 
ing  to  7  P.M.),  without  varying  a  single  hair's  breadth,  during  all 
of  which  time  the  gale  was  raging  with  unmitigated  violence  from 
about  S.W.  by  W.  to  S.W.  During  this  period,  we  were  travel 
ling  about  on  an  average  speed  of  eleven  knots;  and  of  course 
this  must  have  been  the  rate  of  speed  of  the  vortex — distant  from 
us  probably  150  to  200  miles.  At  7  P.M.  the  mercury  began  to 
rise  slowly,  and  at  8  was  at  27-60,  the  weather  looking  less  angry, 
and  the  squalls  not  so  frequent  or  violent.  Verily,  our  good  ship, 
as  she  is  darted  a-head  on  the  top  of  one  of  those  huge,  long  In 
dian  Ocean  waves  that  pursue  her,  seems  like  a  mere  cock-boat. 

It  is  remarkable  that  this  is  the  anniversary  of  the  cyclone  we 
took  off  the  banks  of  Newfoundland. 

October  18th — Observing  has  been  particularly  vexatious  during 
the  past  week.  What  with  the  heavy  seas  constantly  rising  be 
tween  the  observer  and  the  horizon,  preventing  him  from  produc 
ing  a  contact  at  the  very  instant,  it  may  be,  that  he  is  ready  for  it, 
the  passage  of  a  flying  cloud  under  the  sun  when  his  horison  is 
all  right,  and  the  heavy  rolling  of  the  ship  requiring  him  to  pay 
the  utmost  care  to  the  preservation  of  his  balance,  and  sometimes 
even  to  "  lose  his  sight" — from  the  necessity  of  withdrawing  one 
hand  suddenly  from  his  instrument  to  grasp  the  rail  or  the  rigging 
to  prevent  himself  from  falling — what  with  all  these  thing's,  the 
patience  of  even  as  patient  a  man  as  myself  is  sorely  tried.  Per- 


206       CRUISE   OF  THE  ALABAMA  AND  THE  SUMTER. 

haps  this  stormy  tumbling  about  at  sea  is  the  reason  why  seamen 
are  so  calm  and  quiet  on  shore.  We  come  to  hate  all  sorts  of 
commotion,  whether  physical  or  moral. 

At  last  the  region  of  endless  gales  was  passed,  and  escaping  en 
tirely  the  southern  belt  of  calms,  the  Alabama  dashed  along  in  the 
S.  E.  trade.  On  the  26th  October,  as  she  was  nearing  the  Line, 
news  reached  her  from  an  English  barque,  that  the  United  States 
sloop  Wyoming  was  on  guard  in  the  Sunda  Straits,  accompanied 
by  a  three-masted  schooner.  This  sloop  being  about  the  Ala 
bama's  own  size,  hopes  of  a  fight  were  again  rite  among  both  offi 
cers  and  men  ;  arid  great  was  their  impatience  when  the  trade  at 
length  parted  from  them,  and  light,  variable  winds  again  began  to 
battle  the  eager  ship. 

Drawing  slowly  nearer  to  the  Straits,  news  still  came  from  pass 
ing  ships  of  the  enemy's  presence  there,  reports  going  at  length  so 
far  as  to  state,  that  she  had  been  specially  dispatched  thither  by 
the  United  States  consul  at  Batavia,  in  search  of  the  Alabama 
herself. 

At  last,  on  the  6th  November,  came  another  prize,  the  first 
since  leaving  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope,  nearly  six  weeks  before. 
She  proved  to  be  the  barque  Amanda,  from  Manilla  to  Queenstown 
for  orders,  the  following  being  the  particulars  of  her  case : — 

CASE  OF  THE  BARQUE  AMANDA. 

Ship  under  U.  S.  colours  and  register.  Cargo,  sugar  and  hemp. 
Charter-party  to  proceed  to  Europe  or  the  United  States.  On  the 
face  of  each  of  the  three  bills  of  lading  appears  the  following  cer 
tificate  for  the  British  Vice-consul  at  Manilla : — 

"  I  hereby  certify  that  Messrs.  Ker  and  Co.,  the  shippers  of  the 
merchandize  specified  in  this  bill  of  lading,  are  British  subjects 
established  in  Manilla,  and  that  according  to  invoices  produced, 
the  said  merchandize  is  shipped  by  order,  and  for  account  of 
Messrs.  Halliday,  Fox,  and  Co.,  British  subjects  of  London ,  in 
Great  Britain." 

As  nobody  swears  to  anything,  of  course  this  certificate  is  val 
ueless,  and  the  presumption  of  law  prevails,  viz.,  "that  all  property 
found  under  the  enemy's  flag  is  enemy's  property,"  until  the  con 
trary  be  shown  by  competent  and  credible  testimony  under  oath, 
duly  certified  to  by  a  Consul  or  another  officer.  Ship  and  cargo 
condemned. 


CRUISE   OF  THE  ALABAMA  AND  THE   SUMTER.      207 


CHAPTER  XXXII. 

New  cruising -ground — Case  of  the  Winged  Racer — A  good  chase — 
The  Contest — On  the  look-out — Not  to  be  deceived— No  prizes — 
Condore — A  French  settlement — Kindly  greetings — Monkey  Island 
— Far  from  home —  Whistling  Locusts — Instinct — Why  no  one  sees 
a  dead  monkey — Homewards —  Yankee  ships  scarce. 

THE  8th  of  November  saw  the  Alabama  again  in  sight  of  land,  and 
after  anchoring  for  a  night  off  Flat  Point,  and  sending  a  boat 
ashore,  in  the  vain  hope  of  finding  in  the  Malay  villages  a  supply 
of  some  sort  of  fresh  provision,  she  again  lifted  her  anchor  and 
proceeded  to  sea  under  steam. 

Tuesday,  November  10^. — Passed  between  the  islands  of  Beezee 
and  Sonbooko,  both  high  and  picturesque,  the  channel  about  a 
mile  widf,  some  villages  under  the  groves  of  cocoa-nut  trees  on  the 
former.  The  naked  natives  coming  down  to  the  beach  to  gaze  at 
us.  We  ran  through  the  Strait  of  Sunda  about  2  P.M.,  passing  to 
the  westward  of  Thwart-the-Way. 

Soon  after  passing  out  of  the  Strait  and  shaping  our  course,  we 
discovered  a  clipper-looking  ship,  under  topsails,  standing  towards 
North  Island.  Gave  chase,  although  we  were  in  the  midst  of  a 
rain  squall,  and  in  the  course  of  fifteen  or  twenty  minutes  we  were 
near  enough  to  him  to  make  him  show  his  colours.  They  were 
United  States,  and  upon  being  boarded  he  proved  to  be  the 
Winged  Racer,  a  vessel  for  which  we  had  been  hunting  outside 
the  Strait.  We  captured  him  and  sent  him  to  anchor  about  three 
miles  from  North  Island  (the  Island  bearing  about  W.S.W.),  and 
ran  up  and  anchored  near  him  ourselves.  By  working  hard  we 
were  enabled  to  get  everything  we  wanted  out  of  him  by  2  o'clock 
A.M.  ;  and  having  despatched  her  crew,  together  with  the  crew  of 
the  Amanda,  in  the  boats  of  the  prize,  at  their  own  request,  we 
got  under  way  at  4  A.M.,  and  steamed  out  of  sight  of  the  coast  by 
daylight.  We  were  fortunate  enough  to  get  some  fowls,  fruits, 
and  vegetables  from  a  bum-boat  of  Malays,  who  made  a  business 
of  supplying  ships.  The  boat  reported  that,  when  she  left  Angra 
about  two  days  before,  the  Wyoming  was  there.  Fired  the  ship. 


CASE  OF  THE  WINGED  RACER. 
Ship  under  United  States  colours  and  register,  and  no  claim  of 


208       CRUISE  OF  THE  ALABAMA  AND  THE  SUMTER. 

the  neutrality  of  the  cargo  among  the  papers ;  ship  bound  to  New 
York.     Ship  and  cargo  condemned. 


Wednesday,  November  11  th. — Made  the  North  Watcher  soon 
after  daylight,  and  finding  that  if  I  continued  on  at  the  same 
speed,  I  should  be  up  with  Gasper  Strait  early  in  the  night,  and 
should  be  obliged  to  anchor  until  daylight,  I  ordered  the  steam  to 
be  let  down,  and  we  were  about  making  arrangements  for  getting 
up  the  propeller,  when  a  sail  was  descried  on  the  port  bow,  close 
hauled  on  the  starboard  tack.  She  soon  proved  to  be  a  rakish- 
looking  ship,  evidently  United  States.  Kept  away  from  her  from 
time  to  time  as  she  passed  towards  our  bow,  and  when  we  came 
near  enough  we  showed  her  the  United  States  colours.  She  re 
plied  with  the  same.  I  then  fired  a  gun  and  hoisted  our  own 
colours  (new  flag).  Instead  of  obeying  this  signal  to  heave  to,  she 
made  sail  and  ran.  We  at  once  started  the  fires  afresh,  the  steam 
having  gone  entirely  down,  and  made  all  sail  in  pursuit.  The 
chase  at  this  time  was  about  four  miles  from  us,  and  for  a  long 
time  we  gained  scarcely  any  thing  upon  her.  We  threw  a  rifle 
shot  astern  him,  but  he  disregarded  this  also.  Finally,  after  an 
exciting  chase  of  one  hour  and  a  half  (shifting  guns,  and  sending 
men  aft  to  trim  ship,  and  giving  her  a  full  head  of  steam),  we 
came  near  enough  to  him  to  throw  a  32-pound  shot  between  his 
masts,  when  he  shortened  sail,  came  to  the  wind,  and  hove  to.  If 
the  wind  had  been  very  fresh  (it  was  blowing  a  good  breeze)  he 
would  probably  have  ran  away  from  us.  He  proved  to  be  the 
clipper  ship  Contest,  from  Yokohama  (Japan)  for  New  York. 
Captured  him,  and  anchored  in  the  open  sea  in  fourteen  fathoms 
of  water,  and  took  from  the  prize  such  supplies  as  we  wanted.  All 
our  people  having  returned  on  board  about  nightfall,  it  was  dis 
covered  soon  after  that  the  prize  was  dragging  her  anchor,  which 
she  did  so  fast  in  the  freshened  breeze  that  a  boat  which  was  sent 
to  board  and  fire  her  sculled  until  the  officer  nearly  lost  sight  of 
us,  and  fearing  that  if  he  continued  he  might  lose  sight  of  us 
altogether  in  a  rain  squall,  returned.  Got  up  steam  immediately 
and  weighed  anchor,  and  ran  down  to  the  prize,  sent  a  boat's 
crew  on  board  of  her  and  burned  her. 

CASE  OF  THE  CONTEST. 

Ship  under  United  States  colours  and  register,  and  no  claim  for 
cargo ;  ship  and  cargo  condemned. 


CRUISE  OF  THE  ALABAMA  AND  THE  SUMTER.        209 

Concluding  that  on  receiving  intelligence  of  the  Alabama's 
arrival,  the  Wyoming,  if,  in  truth,  she  was  near  the  Strait,  would 
run  at  once  for  Gaspar  Passage  in  search  of  her,  Captain  Semmes 
now  determined  to  double  upon  his  enemy,  and  gave  her  the  start 
of  him,  holding  himself  for  a  few  days  in  the  Java  Sea,  a  little  east 
of  the  Strait.  A  week  passed  by  without  any  incident  worthy  of 
record.  At  length  a  change  came. 

Thursday,  November  19th. — At  3.30  P.M.  boarded  the  English 
ship  Avalanche  (transferred)  two  or  three  days  from  Singapore, 
with  newspapers  from  England  of  the  10th  of  October — only  forty 
days !  Gratified  at  the  general  good  aspect  of  the  news,  and  par 
ticularly  at  our  victory  at  Chicamauga.  Reports  several  American 
ships  laid  up  at  Singapore,  and  a  general  stagnation  of  American 
trade.  This  ship  came  to  anchor  some  two  miles  astern  of  us,  and 
we  sent  oft'  the  prisoners  of  the  Contest  by  her,  the  Master  consent 
ing  to  take  them  for  a  chronometer  which  I  sent  him.  He  will 
probably  put  them  on  shore  at  Angra  Point.  We  first  hoisted 
the  Dutch  flag,  and  sent  a  German,  Master's  Mate  we  had,  on 
board  of  him ;  but  the  Master,  when  told  that  we  were  a  Dutch 
ship  of  war,  said,  "  Oh  !  that  won't  do ;  I  was  on  board  of  her  in 
Liverpool,  when  she  was  launched  ! " 

Friday,  November  2 Qth.—  Lowered  and  rigged  the  cutter,  and 
sent  her  to  board  a  couple  of  barques,  which  reported  four 
American  ships  at  Bankok ;  there  about  to  lay  up,  lest  they 
should  fall  in  with  us,  and  one  American  ship  at  Manilla. 

Saturday,  November  21st. — At  3  P.M.  got  under  way  under 
sail,  with  the  wind  from  the  south-west. 

Sunday,  Nov.  22nd. — At  3  A.M.  lowered  the  propeller,  and 
went  ahead  under  steam.  Passed  within  about  four  miles  of 
Direction  Island  at  5.15  P.M. 

Monday,  Nov.  23rd. — At  8  A.M.  made  Seraia. 

Thursday,  Nov.  26th. — Lat.  5.36;  Long.  111.42,  or  within  fifty  , 
miles  of  dangerous  ground,  towards  which  the  current  is  setting 
us.     No  anchoring  ground.     47  fathoms.     After  noon,  the  calm 
still  continuing,  let  go  a  kedge   in  50  fathoms  of  water — mud — 
and  veered  to  150  fathoms. 

Friday,  Nov.  2lth. — Noon.  The  struggle  against  the  current 
is  hopeless  in  the  deathlike  calm  that  prevails,  and  so  we  have 
come-to  again  with  the  kedge. 

Sunday,  Nov.  29th. — After  five  days  of  dead  calm,  we  took  the 
monsoon  this  morning  at  daylight,  settling  in  lightly,  and  at  9 
A.M.  we  got  under  way,  and  stood  to  the  northward  and  west 
ward. 

Thursday,  Dec.  3rd. — At  daylight  we  discovered  a  small  vessel 

10 


210       CRUISE   OF  THE   ALABAMA  AND  THE  SUMTER. 

at  anchor  near  the  head  of  the  harbour  of  the  Island  of  Condore, 
with  French  colours,  and  awnings  and  other  indications  of  her 
being  a  vessel  of  war.  Sent  a  boat  in  to  examine  water.  Boat 
returned  at  1  P.M.  with  tbe  commander  of  the  vessel — a  French 
vessel  of  war — and  I  was  quite  surprised  to  learn  that  we  had 
arrived  in  civilized  waters,  and  that  the  Island  of  Condore  was  in 
the  possession  of  the  French.  There  was  a  small  garrison  of  50 
or  60  at  the  village  on  the  east  side.  There  had  been  a  recent 
revolt  of  the  natives,  the  French  officers  said  ;  and  for  this  reason 
there  were  few  vegetables  or  fruits  to  be  had,  and  most  of  the 
natives  had  betaken  themselves  to  the  mountains.  Got  under  way 
and  ran  into  the  harbour,  the  Frenchman  politely  showing  me  the 
way,  and  anchored  in  nine  fathoms.  Got  a  spring  out,  so  as  to 
present  our  port  broadside  to  any  enemy  that  might  be  disposed  to 
violate  neutrality,  and,  to  save  coal,  permitted  all  the  fires  to  go 
out.  A  couple  of  ships,  running  before  the  wind,  passed  in  sight 
during  the  day — the  ships  prudently  running  a  little  out  of  the 
track  to  sight  the  island  in  this  uncertain  sea. 

Friday,  December  4th. — The  harbour  is  picturesque,  with  mount 
ains  rising  abruptly  from  the  water  to  the  height  of  1800  feet, 
clothed  with  dense  verdure  from  water's  edge  to  top,  many  of  the 
trees  being  of  large  size.  The  soil  is  very  rich,  but  there  is  little 
cultivated  land,  the  mountain-sides  being  too  steep.  The  French 
have  constructed  two  or  three  huts  on  the  northern  shore,  and  a 
couple  of  rude  jetties,  or  landing  places  of  loose  stone.  Landed  on 
one  of  these  to  get  sight  for  the  chronometers.  Found  a  French 
man  overseeing  three  or  four  Chinese  seamen  chopping  wood  and 
thatching  a  hut.  The  French  make  slaves,  both  here  and  on  the 
mainland,  of  prisoners  of  war.  The  island  is  under  the  govern 
ment  of  an  Enseign  de  Vaisseau. 

The  Commander  of  the  Junk  is  a  Midshipman,  so  that  we  have 
gotten  among  high  dignitaries.  Landed  at  noon,  at  an  inviting 
little  sand-beach  on  the  south  shore,  to  get  latitude — 8°  39'  10". 
Found  the  ruined  hut  of  a  Frenchman,  with  his  grave  close  by, 
and  his  name  carved  on  the  bark  erf  a  tree  on  the  beach.  A  pic 
turesque  burial  spot,  amid  eternal  shades,  with  the  lullaby  of  the 
ocean. 

Saturday,  December  5tk. —  Ajniised  this  morning,  watching 
some  sedate  old  baboons  sitting  on  the  sand-beach  opposite,  and 
apparently  observing  the  ship  very  attentively.  Large  numbers 
of  these  caricatures  of  humanity  inhabit  these  islands;  yesterday, 
when  a  boat  landed,  great  numbers  of  young  ones  were  seen  gam 
boling  about;  but  one  of  the  old  ones  having  called  out  to  them, 
they  soon  all  disappeared  in  the  thick  wood.  Returned  the  visit 


CRUISE   OF  THE   ALABAMA   AND   THE   SUMTER.       211 

of  the  Frenchman.  He  is  on  board  a  miserable  country  craft,  of 
about  40  tons  burthen.  Sent  a  boat  to  the  village  on  the  east 
side  to  call  on  the  Governor,  and  see  if  we  could  get  some  fruit 
and  vegetables.  Boat  returned  at  night-fall.  The  village  is  a 
mere  military  port,  the  native  inhabitants,  except  a  few  prisoners 
or  slaves,  having  fled  to  the  mountains,  and  no  supplies  were  to  be 
had.  The  Governor's  residence  is  a  thatched  hut,  as  are  all  the 
other  houses,  with  no  industry  or  taste  displayed  in  their  struc 
ture.  A  few  patches  of  cultivation  were  visible — rice,  fruit,  and 
cotton — the  latter  looking  rather  unpromising.  The  destroyers  of 
their  rice  were  the  monkeys.  There  are  several  varieties  of  fine 
large  pigeons  here,  and  in  abundance.  They  are  beautiful  in 
feather  and  fat.  A  common  variety  has  a  green  back  and  golden 
tail.  This  must  be  a  paradise  for  monkeys,  so  abundant  is  their 
food  in  the  forests,  almost  every  tree  bearing  a  fruit  or  nut  of 
some  sort.  These  French  officers  had  heard  and  believed  that  we 
sunk  or  burned  every  ship  we  took,  with  all  on  board,  and  received 
the  Paymaster  rather  coolly  at  first,  but  became  quite  cordial  when 
they  observed  we  were  Christians,  and  did  not  commit  this  whole 
sale  murder. 

Sunday,  December  6th. — Another  lonely  Sabbath-day — lonely, 
though  in  the  midst  of  one  hundred  and  fifty  people.  Away, 
away  from  home,  by  half  the  circumference  of  the  globe !  One 
of  the  most  frequent  and  unpleasant  of  my  experiences  since  I 
entered  the  China  Sea,  is  an  oppressive  sense  of  great  distance 
from  home,  and  the  utter  strangeness  of  everything  around  me, 
almost  as  though  I  had  entered  another  planet. 

Monday,  December  7th. — The  commander  of  the  island,  M. 
Bizot,  visited  me  to-day.  He  is  an  agreeable  and  intelligent 
young  man  of  twenty -four  or  five  years  of  age,  and  appeared  very 
friendly  and  expressed  sympathy  for  our  cause.  His  position  is  a 
flattering  one  for  a  man  of  his  age  and  rank,  and  he  seems  to  have* 
entered  upon  his  duties  with  pride  and  zeal.  He  brought  me  a 
chart  of  the  island,  surveyed  last  year.  The  French  have  been  in 
possession  two  years  and  a  half.  He  spoke  of  my  having  hoisted 
the  English  flag  upon  first  anchoring,  and  seemed  surprised  that 
we  had  not  heard  of  the  possession  of  the  island  by  the  French, 
which,  he  said,  had  been  notified  to  all  the  Powers.  I  pleasantly 
told  him  that  I  had  had  some  notion  of  taking  possession  of  it 
myself,  but  that  I  had  found  the  French  ahead  of  me.  He 
brought  down  for  me  the  welcome  present  of  a  pig  and  some 
little  fruit,  and  told  me  he  had  a  potato  patch  on  shore,  which  he 
would  share  with  me.  Fresh  provisions  of  all  kinds  are  so  scarce 
here  that  I  fear  my  generous  friend  has  been  robbing  himself. 


212      CRUISE   OF  THE   ALABAMA  AND  THE  SUMTER. 

He  told  me  that  he  had  one  hundred  and  forty  forcats — slave- 
prisoners — at  the  village,  whom  he  meant  to  put  to  good  use  in 
constructing  store  and  dwelling-houses,  &c.  .  The  hunters  brought 
on  board  to-day  an  East  India  bat,  or  vampire,  measuring  two  feet 
ten  inches  from  tip  to  tip  of  wing.  Its  head  resembled  that  of  a 
dog  or  wolf  more  than  any  other  animal,  its  teeth  being  very 
sharp  and  strong.  Among  the  curiosities  of  the  island  is  a  locust, 
that  has  a  whistle  almost  as  loud  as  that  of  a  railroad. 

Tuesday,  Dec.  8th. — The  Commander  of  the  Junk  came  on 
board,  and  brought  me  a  couple  of  fowls.  The  apes  here  are 
very  large,  and  quite  fierce.  They  will  not  run  from  you,  but 
come  around  you,  and  grin  and  chatter  at  you.  An  officer  shot 
one,  and  he  died  like  a  human  being,  throwing  his  hands  over 
his  wound  and  uttering  piercing  cries!  This  monkey  was  after 
wards  buried  in  the  sand  by  his  comrades,  though  the  interment 
was  not  quite  complete  when  the  operators  were  interrupted. 
This  is  the  reason  why  nobody  ever  sees  a  dead  monkey,  any 
more,  as  the  Singhalese  proverb  says,  than  a  white  crow  or  a 
straight  cocoa-nut  tree.  A  curious  vegetable  product  was  brought 
on  board  to-day,  it  being  to  all  appearance  a  finely-made  Havana 
cigar.  The  fibre  is  woody,  covered  with  a  smooth  bark,  and  the 
colour  of  dark  tobacco.  It  comes  from  the  tree  perfect  in  shape, 
and  is  not  a  seed-pod  or  fruit.  One  is  at  a  loss  to  conceive  its 
use  or  functions.  The  illusion  caused  by  its  appearance  is  perfec-t. 
We  had  no  success  with  the  sieve,  the  fish  here  being  all  jumpers, 
and  jumping  out  of  the  net. 

Wednesday,  Dec.  Qth. — The  excessive  heat  and  moisture  of  the 
climate  here  is  very  enervating.  We  begin  to  feel  its  effects 
already.  It  weighs  upon  us  like  a  vapour-bath,  and  we  feel  indis 
posed  to  take  the  least  exercise ;  a  walk  on  shore  of  half  a  mile  or 
so  quite  overcomes  us. 

Thursday,  Dec.  10th. — At  about  2.30  P.M.  a  French  steamer 
passed  the  Gap,  going  to  the  southward.  Afterwards  informed  by 
the  Commander  that  it  was  the  mail  steamer  from  Saigon,  for  Siu- 
gapore.  The  Saigon  people  are  expecting  us  there. 

Friday,  Dec.  llth. — In  the  afternoon  the  Commander  and  Sur 
geon  came  on  board,  bringing  us  a  bullock!  and  some  vegetables. 

Sunday,  Dec.  ]3th. — The  crew  dined  off  the  Commander's  bul 
lock  to-day,  being  the  first  rneal  of  fresh  meat  since  leaving  Simon's 
Town,  nearly  three  months  ago;  and  yet  we  have  no  one  on  the 
sick  list!  Causes — good  water,  temperance,  strict  government, 
and,  as  a  consequence,  a  reasonable  degree  of  contentment,  and 
moderate  and  constant  employment.  The  crew  has  had  several 
runs  on  shore,  too,  without  the  possibility  of  getting  drunk.  A 


oar 
CRUISE  OF  THE   ALABAMA  AND  THE  SUMTER.        213 

present  of  cocoa-nuts  this  morning  from  the  Commander.  This 
young  Frenchman  is  very  attentive  to  us. 

Monday,  Dec.  14th. — To-day  we  applied  the  principle  of  the 
coffer-dam  to  the  replacement  of  the  copper  around  our  delivery 
or  blow-pipe,  some  three  feet  below  water.  The  operation  proved 
<)uite  simple  and  easy  of  accomplishment.  Getting  ready  for  sea. 
The  news  of  our  "  whereabouts"  probably  reached  Singapore  on 
the  evening  of  Saturday,  and  it  is  only  two  days  from  Singapore 
here,  for  a  fast  steamer  5  and  so,  whilst  the  enemy,  should  there  be 
one  at  Singapore,  is  coming  hitherward,  we  must  be  going  thither 
ward  to  seek  coal  and  provisions. 

Tuesday,  J)ec.  I5th.—At  daylight  got  under  way,  under  sail, 
and  stood  out  of  the  harbour — lighting  and  banking  the  fires. 
On  account  of  our  proximity  to  the  shore,  and  the  very  light 
breeze,  we  had  barely  room  to  pass  the  point — not  more  than  a 
ship's  length  to  spare,  in  case  we  had  been  obliged  to  let  go  our 
anchor.  I  felt  quite  nervous  for  a  few  minutes,  but  held  on,  and 
we  caught  a  light  breeze  that  soon  sent  us  ahead  out  of  danger. 

Well,  we  are  on  the  sea  once  more,  with  our  head  turned  west 
ward,  or  homeward.  Shall  we  ever  reach  that  dear  home  which 
we  left  three  years  ago,  and  which  we  have  yearned  after  so  fre 
quently  since  ?  Will  it  be  battle,  or  shipwreck,  or  both,  or  nei 
ther?  And  when  we  reach  the  North  Atlantic,  will  it  still  be  war, 
or  peace  ?  When  will  the  demon-like  passions  of  the  North  be 
stilled  ?  These  are  solemn  and  interesting  questions  for  us,  and  an 
all-wise  Providence  has  kindly  hidden  the  answers  behind  the  cur 
tain  of  Fate.  A  lengthened  cruise  would  not  be  politic  in  these 
warm  seas.  The  homeward  trade  of  the  enemy  is  now  quite  small 
— reduced  probably  to  twenty  or  thirty  ships  per  year;  and  these 
may  easily  evade  us  by  taking  the  different  passages  to  the  Indian 
Ocean,  of  which  there  are  so  many,  and  so  widely  separated.  The 
foreign  coasting  trade  (as  between  one  port  in  China  and  another, 
and  the  trade  to  and  from  Calcutta  and  to  and  from  Australia), 
besides  facilities  for  escape,  are  almost  beyond  our  reach — at  least 
we  could  only  ransom  the  ship,  the  cargoes  being  all  neutral — 
that  is  to  say,  such  of  them  as  get  cargoes,  now  not  many.  And 
then  there  is  no  cruising  or  chasing  to  be  done  here  successfully, 
or  with  safety  to  oneself,  without  plenty  of  coal ;  and  we  can  only 
rely  upon  coaling  once  in  three  months  at  some  English  port.  At 
the  other  ports  there  would  probably  be  combinations  made  against 
us,  through  the  influence  of  the  Yankee  Consuls.  So  I  will  try 
my  luck  around  the  Cage  of  Good  Hope  once  more ;  then  to  the 
coast  of  Borneo ;  and  thence  perhaps  to  Barbadoes,  for  coal ;  and 
thence ?  If  the  war  be  not  ended,  my  ship  will  need  to  go 


214:       CRUISE  OF  THE   ALABAMA  AND  THE   SUMTER. 

into  dock,  to  have  much  of  her  copper  replaced,  now  nearly  de 
stroyed  by  such  constant  cruising,  and  to  have  her  boilers  over 
hauled  and  repaired ;  and  this  can  only  be  properly  done  in  Eu 
rope.  Our  young  officers,  who  had  had  so  agreeable  a  change 
from  the  cramped  ship  to  the  shores  and  forests  of  Condore,  with 
their  guns  and  their  books,  had  become  so  attached  to  the  island 
that  they  left  it  with  some  regret. 


CHAPTER  XXXIII. 

In  the  East — Aor — Marine  nomads — Suspicious — At  Singapore — A 
busy   city — Chinese  merchants — Whampoa  and  Co. —  Calculating 
machines — Under    way — The    Martaban    of  Maulmain — Trans 
formation — The    Texan   Star — Ecasive — Getting  at   the   truth — 
Confusion — Malacca — The  Sonora — To  the  Cape. 

TEIB  Alabama  was  now  steering  for  Singapore,  and  for  three  or 
four  days  kept  her  course  without  the  occurrence  of  anything 
particularly  noteworthy.  Ou  the  19th  December  she  anchored 
for  a  time  in  the  bay  on  the  south-east  side  of  the  island  of  Aor, 
with  its  lofty  hills  clothed  with  green  to  their  summits,  and  its 
little  sandhills  and  groves  of  cocoa-nut  trees.  The  island  is  un 
claimed  by  any  European  nation. 

Sunday,  Dec.  2,0th. — To-day  being  Sunday,  and  the  weather 
being  still  thick,  and  blowing,  I  have  resolved  to  remain  until 
to-morrow  before  making  the  run  for  Singapore.  Weather  im 
proved  this  morning,  however,  and  the  barometer  going  up. 
Several  islands  visible  that  were  hid  from  us  yesterday.  Pulo  Aor 
looking  beautiful  and  picturesque.  Some  of  the  natives  on  board 
with  their  scant  stores  of  fowls,  eggs,  and  cocoa-nuts.  They  are 
larger  than  the  natives  of  Coudore,  and  stouter,  and  more  de 
veloped,  but  with  countenances  not  very  prepossessing.  The 
Governor,  a  rough-looking,  middle-aged  fellow,  above  the  common 
height,  pulled  out  some  greasy  papers,  the  recommendations  of 
former  visitors,  and  desired  that  I  also  would  give  him  one,  which 
I  declined,  as  I  knew  nothing  about  him.  Their  canoes  are  light 
and  graceful,  and  occasionally  they  present  quite  a  picture  with 
their  gaily-dressed  or  half-dressed  occupants.  We  heard  their 
tom-toms  and  banjoes  last  night  as  evening  set  in,  but  a  music 
much  sweeter  to  our  ears  was  a  choruf  from  some  frogs,  with 
.notes  somewhat  finer  than  their  relatives  on  our  side  of  the  earth. 


CRUISE  OF  THE  ALABAMA  AND  THE  SUMTER.       215 

These  islanders  are  nothing  more  than  marine  nomads,  that  lead 
an  idle,  vagabond  life,  intermixed  with  a  good  deal  of  roguery. 
They  have  a  fine  physique,  as  might  be  supposed  from  their  open- 
air  mode  of  life,  in  which  they  have  plenty  of  healthful  exercise 
without  being  overworked,  as  Mother  Nature  feeds  them  spon 
taneously,  and  they  require  little  more  clothing  than  they  brought 
into  the  world  with  them. 

In  the  afternoon  some  of  the  officers  visited  the  shore,  and  were 
hospitably  received.  There  were  from  ninety  to  one  hundred 
natives,  men,  women,  and  children,  visible,  and  there  were  pro 
bably  as  many  more  on  the  other  side  of  the  island,  as  they  have 
a  S.W.  monsoon  village  there.  They  seemed  to  have  plenty  of 
fowls,  and  they  are  very  expert  fishermen.  They  were  gambling 
— such  a  thing  as  labour  being  out  of  the  question.  The  island 
seems  originally  to  have  been  a  solid  mass  of  rock,  the  rocky 
walls  of  the  mountains  peeping  out  in  many  places  from  the 
rnidst  of  the  dense  forest,  and  gradually  as  time  and  the  elements 
disintegrated  portions  of  it,  plants  and  trees  took  root,  until  the 
island  became  what  it  is  now,  a  mass  of  luxuriant  vegetation. 
There  were  some  fine  large  boats  carefully  hauled  up  on  the  beach, 
quite  large  enough  for  piratical  purposes,  for  which  they  were 
probably  intended,  and  some  swivels  were  lying  near  the  chief 
man's  door.  The  cocoa-nut  tree  has  climbed  the  mountain  sides, 
and  waves  its  feathery  foliage  from  the  crests  of  the  ridges.  It  is 
food,  and  cordage,  and  light  to  the  natives.  Several  delightful 
little  valleys  presented  themselves,  upon  which,  and  on  the  ad 
jacent  steeps  or  the  mountains,  were  thatched  huts.  Probably  to 
the  mere  animal. part  of  our  nature,  the  life  that  these  people  lead 
is  happier  than  any  other ;  wants  few  and  easily  supplied,  labour 
not  too  pressing,  and  the  simple  tastes  satisfied  with  such  pleasures 
as  they  find. 

Bain^  rain,  in  the  afternoon.  Most  of  the  moisture  is  deposited 
on  the  mountain-tops,  and  the  clouds  sweep  over  it.  And  now 
fur  Singapore,  God  willing. 

Monday,  Dec.  list. — At  3.30  A.M.  we  got  under  way,  under 
steam  and  sail,  and  steered  S.  by  E.  32^  miles,  South  18  miles, 
and  S.  by  W.  14  miles;  and  the  weather  setting  in  very  thick, 
with  heavy  rain,  obscuring  all  things,  we  were  obliged  to  come  to 
in  10J  fathoms,  with  the  north  point  of  Bintang  island  bearing, 
and  within  11  miles  by  computation  of  the  Pedra  Branca  light 
house.  We  have  thus  to  war  against  the  weather  as  well  as  our 
enemies.  Soon  after  daylight  we  made  a  ship-rigged  steamer  on 
our  port  bow,  bound  also  for  Singapore.  She  anchored- near  us 
astern.  It  clearing  a  little  at  noon,  we  got  hold  of  the  marks  and 


216        CRUISE   OF  THE   ALABAMA   AND   THE  SUMTER. 

got  under  way,  and  taking  a  Malay  pilot,  anchored  off  Singapore 
at  5.30  P.M. 

Tuesday,  Dec.  22d. — At  9.30  A.M.  the  pilot  came  on  board,  and 
we  ran  up  into  New  Harbour  alongside  of  the  coaling  depot,  and 
commenced  coaling.  Singapore  is  quite  a  large  town,  with  an  air 
of  prosperity — a  large  number  of  ships  in  the  harbour.  The  coun 
try  is  beautiful,  and  green,  with  an  abundance  of  fine  fruit,  &c. ; 
the  country  around  highly  improved  with  tasteful  houses  and  well- 
laid-out  grounds.  The  English  residents  call  it  the  Madeira  of  the 
East,  in  allusion  to  its  healthfulness.  Some  twenty-two  American 
merchant  ships  here,  most  of  them  laid  up  !  The  Wyoming  was 
here  twenty  days  ago,  and  left  for  Rhio  Strait,  where  she  remained 
for  some  days.  Finished  coaling  last  night,  the  operation  having 
occupied  no  more  than  ten  hours.  Received  provisions. 

Wednesday,  Dec.  23rd. — Weather  variable,  with  occasional 
showers  of  rain — raining  heavily  in  the  afternoon.  Visited  the 
city,  and  was  astonished  at  its  amount  of  population  and  business. 
There  are  from  eighty  to  one  hundred  thousand  Chinese  on  Singa 
pore  island,  nearly  all  of  them  in  the  city,  from  twelve  to  fifteen 
thousand  Malays,  and  about  fifteen  hundred  Europeans.  Singa 
pore  being  a  free  port,  it  is  a  great  entrepot  of  trade.  Great  quan 
tities  of  Eastern  produce  reach  it  from  all  quarters,  whence  it  is 
shipped  to  Europe. 

The  business  is  almost  exclusively  in  the  hands  of  the  Chinese, 
who  are  also  the  artisans  and  labourers  of  the  place.  The  streets 
are  thronged  with  foot-passengers  and  vehicles,  among  which  are 
prominent  the  ox,  or  rather  the  buffalo  cart,  and  the  hacks  for 
hire,  of  which  latter  there  are  nine  hundred  licensed.  The  canal 
is  filled  with  country  boats  of  excellent  model,  and  the  warehouses 
are  crammed  with  goods.  Money  seems  to  be  abundant  and  things 
dear.  They  are  just  finishing  a  tasteful  Gothic  church,  with  a  tall 
spire,  which  is  a  notable  landmark  as  you  approach  ;  they  are  also 
completing  officers'  quarters  on  a  hill  which  commands  the  town. 
Barracks  for  three  or  four  regiments  lie  unoccupied  a  couple  of 
miles  outside  the  city,  and  a  large  court-house. 

The  moving  multitude  in  the  streets  comprises  every  variety  of 
the  human  race,  every  shade  of  colour,  and  every  variety  of  dress, 
among  which  are  prominent  the  gay  turbans  and  fancy  jackets  of 
the  Mahomedan,  Hindu,  &c.  Almost  all  the  artisans  and  labour 
ers  were  naked,  except  a  cloth  or  a  pair  of  short  trousers  tucked 
about  the  waist.  The  finest  dressed  part  of  the  population  was 
decidedly  the  jet-black,  with  his  white  fiowing  mantle  and  spotted 
turban.  The  upper  class  of  Chinese  merchants  are  exceeding  po 
lite,  and  seem  intelligent.  I  visited  the  establishment  of  Wham- 


CRUISE   OF  THE  ALABAMA  AND  THE  SUMTER.       217 

poa  and  Co.  Whampoa  was  above  the  middle  height,  stout,  and 
with  a  large,  well-developed  head.  I  was  told  that  his  profits 
some  years  amounted  to  forty  or  fifty  thousand  pounds !  He  was 
sitting  in  a  small,  dingy,  ill-lighted  little  office  on  the  ground  floor, 
and  had  before  him  a  Chinese  calculating  machine,  over  the  nu 
merous  small  balls  of  which,  strung  on  wires,  he  was  running  his 
hands  for  amusement,  as  a  gambler  will  sometimes  do  with  his 
checks.  At  the  suggestion  of  the  gentleman  who  was  with  me,  I 
requested  him  to  multiply  four  places  of  figures  by  three  places, 
naming  the  figures,  and  the  operation  was  done  about  as  rapidly 
as  I  could  write  down  the  result.  Their  shaved  heads,  and  long 
queues,  sometimes  nearly  touching  the  ground,  are  curious  fea 
tures  of  their  personal  appearance.  The  workshops  front  upon  the 
streets,  and  in  them  busy,  half-naked  creatures  may  be  seen,  work 
ing  away  as  industriously  as  so  many  beavers  all  day  long,  seeming 
never  to  tire  of  their  ceaseless  toil. 

Amid  all  this  busy  population  I  saw  but  one  female  in  the 
streets,  and  she  was  of  the  lower  class.  Dined  in  the  country  with 
Mr.  Beaver.  The  ride  out  was  over  good  roads  flanked  by  large 
forests  and  ornamental  trees,  among  which  was  the  tall,  slender, 
graceful  palm  of  the  betel-nut.  The  Botanical  Gardens  are  on  an 
elevation  commanding  a  fine  view  of  the  town  and  the  sea,  and 
are  laid  out  with  taste,  ornamented  with  flowering  trees  and  shrubs, 
and  flowers.  Hither  a  band  of  music  comes  to  play  several  times 
a  week,  when  the  townspeople  turn  out  to  enjoy  the  scene.  A 
few  miles  beyond  the  town  the  whole  island  is  a  jungle,  in  which 
abounds  the  ferocious  Bengal  tiger.  It  is  said  that  one  man  and 
a  half  per  day  is  the  average  destruction  of  human  life  by  these 
animals.  Visited  opium-preparation  shop.  It  pays  an  enormous 
licence. 

All  this  beauty  fails  to  reconcile  the  European  lady  to  this 
country,  I  was  told.  The  eternal  sameness  of  summer,  and  the 
heat  and  moisture,  weigh  upon  them,  and  their  husbands  being 
away  all  day  on  business,  they  pine  for  their  European  homes. 
The  life  seems  agreeable  enough  to  the  men.  The  Governor  of 
the  "  Straits  Settlement "  is  a  Colonel. 

Thursday,  Dec.  24th. — Cloudy  ;  five  of  my  men  deserted  last 
night.  The  Kwang-tung  got  under  way  at  8J  A.M.,  and  we  fol 
lowed  her  and  steered  for  the  strait  of  Malacca.  Several  sails  in 
sight ;  Malay  pilot  on  board.  Passed  the  Kwang-tung  very 
rapidly.  At  about  1  P.M.  we  fired  a  gun  and  hove  to  an  Ameri 
can-looking  barque,  under  English  colours,  with  the  name,  "  Mar- 
taban,  of  Maulmain,"  on  her  stern.  Sent  a  boat  on  board  ;  and 
the  officer  reporting  that  she  was  an  American-built  ship,  with 

10* 


218       CKUISE  OF  THE  ALABAMA  AND  THE  SUMTEK. 

English  register,  and  that  the  Master  refused  to  come  on  board,  I 
went  on  board  myself  to  examine  the  case.  There  being  no  bill 
of  sale,  the  transaction  being  recent,  the  Master  and  Mate,  &c., 
being  Americans,  I  had  no  doubt  that  the  transfer  was  fraudulent, 
and  captured  and  burned  her.  The  cargo  had  no  paper  on  board 
connected  with  it,  except  the  ordinary  bill  of  lading.  It  consisted 
of  rice,  and  was  shipped  in  Maulmain  by  a  Mr.  Cohen,  and  con 
signed  to  his  order  at  Singapore,  whither  the  ship  was  bound.  Of 
course,  the  cargo  followed  the  fate  of  the  ship  under  such  circum 
stances.  Upon  examination  of  the  Master  (Pike),  under  oath,  he 
admitted  that  the  transfer  was  a  sham,  and  made  to  protect  the 
ship  from  capture.  At  11.30  P.M.  came  to  anchor  about  four 
miles  distant  from  Malacca,  bearing  N.,  in  fifteen  fathoms  water, 
for  the  purpose  of  landing  our  prisoners. 

The  boarding  officer's  journal  furnishes  the  annexed  description 
of  the  interview  with  the  Master  of  the  prize  : — 

I  was  sent  on  board  to  examine  her  papers.  The  barque  was 
American  built,  had  a  new  English  flag,  and  on  her  stern  was 
painted  "  Martaban,  of  Maulmain."  We  knew  that  many  Yankee 
vessels  had  been  transferred  to  English  owners,  and  of  course  had 
to  have  an  English  flag;  but  the  question  arose — Was  there  not 
some  jobbery  in  this  case  ?  Nearing  the  Martaban  I  saw  that  she 
was  newly  painted  ;  pulling  round  and  under  the  stern,  I  saw  that 
a  name  had  been  painted  over,  but  could  not  see  what  the  name 
was.  I  further  observed  that  the  last  four  letters  of  Maulmain  had 
been  painted  much  more  recently  than  the  other  ones,  so  I  deter 
mined  to  most  rigidly  scrutinize  her  papers.  Upon  my  arrival 
on  board,  I  inquired  after  the  Captain's  health,  and  then  expressed 
a  wish  to  make  a  few  inquiries  respecting  his  vessel. 

He  with  the  utmost  affability  was  equally  ready  to  afford  me 
any  information  required,  at  the  same  time  informing  me  I  should 
find  "  everything  correct."  The  vessel  I  found  was  the  Martaban 
of  Maulmain,  Captain  Pike,  from  Maulmain  to  Singapore,  rice 
laden.  I  then  requested  to  see  the  ship's  papers,  which  request 
was  readily  granted.  Accordingly  the  register,  clearance  bills  of 
lading,  arid  crew  list,  were  speedily  produced  and  examined,  not 
omitting  the  Master's  certificate.  These  but  corroborated  what  1 
previously  knew.  Putting  a  few  questions  to  the  Captain,  and 
comparing  his  answers  with  the  papers,  1  learned  the  following 
facts — viz.,  that  the  barque  was  American  built,  that  she  had  been 
upwards  of  five  months  in  Maulmain  ;  that  she  had  been  trans 
ferred  on  the  10th  December,  after  the  cargo 'was  in,  and  on  the 
day  in  which  she  cleared,  and  only  one  day  previous  to  her  sailing; 


CRUISE  OF  THE  ALABAMA  AND  THE  SUMTER.       219 

that  the  captain  had  no  certificate  or  bill  of  sale,  nor,  in  fact,  any 
papers  respecting  the  transfer  on  board  ;  that  he,  the  Captain,  was 
an  American,  and  had  commanded  the  barque  previous  to  her 
transfer. 

Taking  the  register  up  again  and  closely  scrutinizing  it,  I 
observed  what  had  previously  escaped  my  attention — viz.,  that  the 
register,  which  is  a  printed  form,  with  spaces  for  written  insertions, 
had  been  first  written  with  a  lead  pencil,  and  over  that  with  ink. 
No  professional  registrar  or  shipmaster  would,  I  felt  certain,  have 
so  prepared  it.  Looking  again  at  the  crew  list  I  made  another 
discovery,  that  all  the  names  of  the  crew  were  written  in  one  hand 
writing,  from  the  mate  to  the  boys.  Now  I  well  knew  that  some 
of  the  crew,  and  especially  the  mates,  would  be  able  to  write,  and 
of  the  mate's  ability  to  use  a  pen  I  speedily  satisfied  myself  by 
making  him  produce  his  logbook,  wherein  his  name,  <fec.,  was  writ 
ten  ;  or,  if  unable  to  write,  the  usual  X,  his  mark,  would  have 
been  affixed  to  each  name.  I  had  now  no  doubt  about  the  papers, 
believing  them  to  be  false.  I  then  requested  the  Master  to  take 
his  papers  and  go  on  board  the  Alabama,  which,  however,  he  posi 
tively  refused  to  do,  unless  forcibly  compelled;  stating  that  "this 
was  an  affair  that  flag  (pointing  to  the  English  colours  flying  at 
his  peak)  wouldn't  stand."  He  still  persisting  in  his  refusal  to  go 
on  board  our  ship,  I  took  possession  of  his  vessel,  pending  Captain 
Semmes'  decision. 

Finding  that  the  Mountain  wouldn't  come  to  Mahomet,  Maho 
met  went  to  the  Mountain  ;  for,  after  calling  a  man  out  of  my 
boat  and  stationing  him  at  the  wheel,  I  dispatched  the  boat  back 
to  the  Alabama  with  a  report  of  the  irregularity  of  the  papers, 
and  a  request  for  further  instructions.  To  my  surprise,  Captain 
Semmes  came  himself  and  stopped  at  the  gangway,  and  told  the 
Captain  he  had  come  to  examine  the  ship's  papers.  Captain  Pike 
signifying  his  assent,  we  went  into  the  cabin,  and  the  papers  being 
produced,  I  pointed  out  some  of  the  discrepancies  and  acts  pre 
viously  mentioned. 

Captain  Semmes  then  sharply  interrogated  Pike,  insisting  upon 
additional  documents  to  prove  the  legality  of  the  transfer.  None 
being  forthcoming,  Captain  Semmes  put  some  questions,  as  only 
a  lawyer  can  (Captain  Semmes  not  only  having  studied,  but  prac 
tised  law),  the  answers  to  which  only  convinced  Captain  Semmes 
that  what  he  had  suspected  was  true — viz.,  that  the  ship  was  sail 
ing  under  false  colours,  and  was  to  all  intents  and  purposes  an 
American  vessel. 

Captain  Pike  of  course  protested,  to  which  Captain  Semmes 
replied  by  ordering  the  destruction  of  the  vessel.  Captain  Semmes 


220       CRUISE   OF  THE  ALABAMA  AND  THE   SUMTER. 

returning  to  the  Alabama,  I  ordered  the  English  flag  to  be  hauled 
down,  and  directed  the  Mates  and  crew  to  pack  their  luggage,  and 
hold  themselves  in  readiness  to  go  on  board  our  ship.  The  First 
Lieutenant  coming  off,  our  boats  got  off  a  few  stores,  and  the  prison 
ers  were  transferred  to  the  Alabama. 

By  5.20  had  applied  the  torch,  and  regained  our  ship  5.30. 
The  steamer  Kwang-Tung  was  observed  near  our  burning  prize. 
We  then  shaped  our  course  for  Malacca,  intending  to  land  our 
prisoners  there. 

About  7.30  the  same  evening,  Mr.  Smith,  captain's  clerk,  and 
self  had  the  boatswain  and  a  seaman  down  in  the  steerage  ;  and 
putting  them  on  oath  obtained  the  following  additional  particulars 
— viz.,  that  they  shipped  on  board  the  Martaban  at  Hong  Kong 
and  Singapore  respectively  ;  that  she  was  then  an  American  ves 
sel,  and  called  the  Texan  Star,  of  Galveston  or  Boston  (she  having 
had  two  American  registers)  ;  that  she  left  Maulmain  as  the  Texan 
Star,  and  on  leaving  there  hoisted  American  colours ;  that  the 
name  Martaban,  of  Maulmain,  was  painted  by  the  captain's  nephew 
two  days  after  leaving  that  port ;  that  the  English  flag  was  hoisted 
for  the  first  time  when  the  Alabama  hove  in  sight  this  day ;  and 
that  no  articles  were  signed  by  them  at  Maulmain  ;  nor,  indeed, 
was  any  agreement  made  by  the  crew  to  serve  in  a  British  vessel, 
all  hands,  in  fact,  believing  her  to  be  American.  The  Mate  hav 
ing  also  made  a  few  admissions,  they  and  the  preceding  deposi 
tions  were  shown  to  Captain  Semmes,  who,  after  sending  for  Cap 
tain  Pike,  put  the  following  questions  to  him — viz  : 

What  is  your  name  ? — Samuel  B.  Pike. 

Where  were  you  born  ? — At  Newbury  Port,  Massachusetts. 

Are  you  a  naturalized  citizen  of  any  foreign  government? — I 
am  not. 

How  long  have  you  been  in  command  of  the  Martaban,  formerly 
the  Texan  Star  2 — Two  years  and  a  half. 

In  what  part  of  the  United  States  was  the  Texan  Star  regis 
tered  ? — She  was  built  and  registered  at  Boston. 

Has  she  but  one  register  in  America  ? — There  was  a  change  of 
owners,  and  she  has  had  two  American  registers. 

Who  were  the  owners  under  the  last  American  register? — John 
Alkerm,  Samuel  Stevens,  George  L.  Rogers,  and  myself. 

What  proportion  of  the  ship  did  you  own? — One-sixth. 

When  did  you  sail  from  the  last  port  in  the  United  States  ? — A 
year  ago  last  July. 

It  is  stated  in  the  present  British  register  that  Mr.  Mark  Currie 
is  the  owner  ? — That  is  as  I  understand  it. 

Do  you  state  upon  your  oath  that  the  sale  was  a  bond  fide  sale? 
— I  do  not  state  that. 


CRUISE  OF  THE  ALABAMA  AND  THE  SUMTER.       221 

Do  you  not  know  that  it  was  intended  merely  as  a  cover  to 
prevent  capture  ? — Yes,  I  do  know  it. 

This  closed  the  matter ;  nothing  more  was  necessary.  Here 
was  admission  enough  to  destroy  any  legal  doubt  that  might  have 
arisen  from  the  destruction  of  a  vessel  under  the  English  flag. 
What  added  to  our  triumph  was  the  copy  of  a  letter  from  Captain 
Pike  to  his  owners,  in  which  he  stated  that  "  he  had  taken  such 
precautions  as  would  deceive  Semmes  and  all  the  Confederates." 
Had  the  Texan  Star  escaped,  how  Yankee  cuteness  would  have 
been  extolled  !  Why,  as  the  Bostoniaus  have  presented  a  gold 
chronometer  to  the  master  of  the  barque  Urania  for  such  a  daring 
deed  as  hoisting  the  American  flag  over  his  American  vessel  in  a 
neutral  port  (Cape  Town),  whilst  the  Alabama  was  lying  there,  I 
say,  had  the  Texan  Star  escaped  from  the  Alabama,  nothing  short 
of  the  Presidency,  or  a  statue  in  marble,  or  the  deed  graved  in 
letters  of  gold,  or  some  other  equally  ridiculous  token  of  admira 
tion,  would  have  awaited  the  gallant  master,  and  the  fame  of 
his  clever  trick  would  have  been  handed  down  to  Yankee  pos 
terity. 

Captain  Semmes  thus  resumes  his  diary  on  the  25th  Decem 
ber  : — At  daylight  sent  the  prisoners  of  the  Texan  Star  on  shore, 
with  a  note  to  the  Commander.  Malacca  is  a  pretty  little  village, 
or  at  least  the  sea-point,  viewed  from  our  anchorage,  with  a  pic 
turesque  hill  in  the  rear,  on  which  is  situated  the  fort  and  light 
house.  The  flagstaff  was  decorated  with  flags  and  signals  in 
honour  of  Christmas  Day.  A  couple  of  boats  with  some  English 
officers  and  citizens  ran  off,  and  visited  us  for  a  few  minutes.  Got 
under  way  at  9.30,  under  steam  ;  at  night  anchored  near  Parceelar 
Hill  in  25  fathoms  water. 

Saturday,  December  2Qlk. — At  6  A.M.  got  underway,  and  stood 
out  for  the  lightship,  and  soom  made  a  couple  of  American-look 
ing  ships  ahead,  at  anchor ;  steamed  up  to  the  first,  which  refused 
to  show  colours.  Sent  a  boat  on  board,  when  she  proved  to  be  the 
American  ship  Senora,  from  Singapore.  Captured,  her,  and 
steamed  to  the  second,  which  in  like  manner  refused  to  show 
colours.  Upon  sending  a  boat  on  board,  she  proved  to  be  the 
American  ship  Highlander,  also  from  Singapore.  Captured  her. 
Both  of  these  ships  were  very  large,  being  over  a  thousand  tons 
each.  They  were  both  in  ballast,  bound  to  Aycaab  for  rice.  At 
10  A.M.,  having  sent  off  the  crews  of  the  two  prizes  in  their  own 
boats,  at  their  own  election,  fired  the  ships,  and  steamed  out 
Passed  the  lightship  at  about  11  A.M.,  and  discharged  the  pilot/ 

From  the  26th  December  to  the  13th  of  January  the  Alabama 


222       CRUISE  OF  THE  ALABAMA  AND  THE  SUMTER. 

steadily  pursued  her  course,  meeting  with  little  adventure.  Only 
four  sail  were  seen  iu  the  period,  and  these  all  proved  to  be  neu 
trals.  On  the  last  day  of  the  year  1863  the  North  Indian  Ocean 
was  entered,  and  the  ship's  head  once  more  laid  in  the  direction  of 
the  Cape. 


CHAPTER  XXXIV. 

The  Emma  Jane — Quilon — An  alarm — Landing  prisoners — Johanna 
and  Mohilla — Friendly  authorities — Slavery — A  trading  monarch 
— Distance  lends  enchantment  to  the  view — Cousins-german  of  the 
Sultan — Prince's  gardens — Mahommedan  sympathy — Off  again. 

ON  the  14th  January,  as  the  Alabama  was  lazily  drifting  in  a 
north-easterly  direction,  near  the  Malabar  coast,  a  ship  was  dis 
covered  running  down  towards  her.  The  useful  decoy — the 
United  States  flag — was  at  once  hoisted,  and  the  same  colours 
were  run  up  by  the  stranger.  A  gun  brought  the  Yankee  vessel 
to,  and  the  Alabama  forthwith  took  possession  of  the  Emma  Jane 
of  Bath,  Maine,  bound  from  Bombay  to  Amherst  in  ballast,  and  at 
8.30  P.M.  the  prize  was  set  fire  to. 

About  this  period  the  cruiser  experienced  a  series  of  calms,  and 
she  drifted  with  the  current  rather  than  sailed.  On  the  16th  of 
January  the  Ghaut  Mountains  Were  made,  and  Captain  Semmes 
makes  the  following  entry  in  his  journal. 

Saturday,  January  IQth. — At  meridian  made  the  town  of  Qui 
lon,  and  bore  up  east  l  south  for  the  town  of  Angeoga,  which  we 
made  about  2  P.M.  At  4.30  came  to  in  the  road  abreast  of  the 
fort,  and  despatched  a  Lieutenant  on  shore  to  see  about  landing 
my  prisoners.  In  the  evening  the  residing  magistrate's  son  came 
on  board,  and  I  arranged  the  matter  with  him.  There  being  no 
external  trade  or  shipping  at  Augenga,  the  prisoners  could  not 
well  get  away  by  sea ;  but  my  visitor  stated  that  there  was  lagoon 
navigation  inland  all  the  way  to  Cochin,  some  seventy-five  miles 
to  the  northward,  and  that  at  Cochin  there  were  always  means  of 
reaching  Bombay  and  other  ports.  Native  boats  were  passing 
every  day  between  Angenga  and  Cochin,  and  if  I  would  send  the 
necessary  provisions  on  shore  for  the  prisoners,  his  father  would 
s^e  them  transported  to  Cochin.  I  sent  a  Lieutenant  on  shore 
afier  night  with  the  son,  to  arrange  the  matter  with  the  father ; 
and  as  the  boat  was  delayed  much  beyond  her  time,  and  we  heard 


CRUISE  OF  THE  ALABAMA  AND  THE   SUMTEK.       223 

some  firing  as  of  revolvers  and  muskets,  and  as  there  was  also 
some  surf  running,  I  became  uneasy,  and  despatched  the  First 
Lieutenant  in  another  boat  to  look  into  the  "matter.  The  chief 
magistrate  had  only  been  at  public  worship — the  cause  of  the  de 
tention  of  the  boat.  Both  boats  returned  about  11.30  p.  M. 

Sunday,  January  17  th. — At  day  light  I  sent  all  the  prisoners  on 
shore,  where  they  were  landed  apparently  in  the  presence  of  half 
the  village — the  native  boats  taking  them  through  the  surf — and 
at  9.30  got  under  way.  The  town  of  Angenga  was  formerly  of 
some  importance  as  a  shipping  port  for  the  produce  of  the  country 
— cocoanut  oil,  pepper,  &c.  But  all  its  trade  has  passed  to  its 
more  prosperous  rival — Cochin.  It  is  about  fifty  miles  from  Tra- 
vancore,  the  residence  of  The  Rajah.  There  is  water  communi 
cation  ail  the  way,  and  the  journey  is  generally  made  (in  canoes) 
in  the  night  to  avoid  the  heat  of  the  sun.  The  natives  are  nearly 
as  black  as  .the  Africans,  but  with  straight  hair  and  European  fea 
tures.  A  large  number  of  them  visited  the  ship  this  morning. 
They  were  fine  specimens  of  physical  development,  and  wore 
scarcely  any  other  covering  than  a  cloth  about  the  loins.  They 
were  sprightly  and  chatty,  and  in  their  quaint  canoes  made  quite 
a  picture. 

On  the  17 th  January  the  Alabama  left  Angenga,  arriving  with 
out  further  adventure  on  the  21st  at  the  Island  of  Minicoy,  and 
after  three  weeks  more  of  fine  weather,  found  herself  off  the  island 
of  Comoro. 

Tuesday,  February  Qtk. — At  3.30  A.M.  passed  in  sight  of  the 
N.E.  end  of  Comoro.  Soon  after  dayligjit  made  the  Islands  of 
Johanna  and  Mohilla.  At  1.30  P.M.  came  to  anchor  about  three- 
quarters  of  a  mile Ttom  the  shore.  Despatched  the  Paymaster  to 
the  town  to  arrange  for  fresh  provisions.  In  the  afternoon  visited 
by  several  canoes,  with  a  couple  of  poles  lashed  across  the  gun 
wales,  attached  to  a  float  in  each,  to  maintain  their  stability.  Stal 
wart  naked  negroes  were  for  the  most  part  their  occupants. 
Many  of  them  spoke  a  little  English.  Among  others,  a  dignitary 
of  the  Church  came  on  board  with  the  compliments  of  the  chief 
priest  (Mahommedan).  We  made  arrangements  with  him  for  the 
supply  of  the  ship.  One  of  his  companions  asked  me  to  which 
<jtf  the  belligerent  parties  I  belonged  to,  the  North  or  the  South. 
FTepFied,  to  the  South.  "  Then,"  said  he,  "  you  belong  to  the 
side  which  upholds  slavery."  "  Yes,"  said  I,  "  we  belong  to  the 
country  where  the  black  man  is  better  taken  care  of  than  in  any 
other  part  of  the  world."  The  churchman  seeing  me  put  on  the 


224       CRUISE   OF  THE  ALABAMA  AND  THE  SUMTEB. 

defensive,  as  it  were,  came  to  my  aid,  and  said  :  "Oh,  we  are  slave 
holders  here;  being  Mahommedans,  we  have  no  prejudices  that 
way  ;  our  only  trouble  is,  we  cannot  get  slaves  enough.  The 
English,  who  have  no  control  over  us,  we  being  an  independent 
government,  are  strong  enough  to  interfere  in  everybody's  business, 
and  to  say  to  us,  that  we  bring  over  from  the  main  no  more  slaves. 
The  slaves  themselves  would  gladly  come  to  us,  as  they  are  much 
better  off  than  under  their  native  chiefs,  who  are  continually  mak 
ing  war  upon  and  enslaving  one  another." 

My  informant  was  himself  a  full-blooded  African  negro,  as  black 
as  the  ace  of  spades,  but  with  an  immaculate  white  turban  on  his 
head,  and  the  flowing  robe  and  loose  jacket  of  the  Mahommedan. 

Wednesday,  February  10th. — Visited  by  the  King's  Dragoman 
this  morning,  who  came  to  pay  the  respects  of  the  authorities,  to 
say  he  was  glad  to  see  us  in  Johanna.  In  the  course  of  conversa 
tion,  he  was  pleased  to  say  that  our  ship  was  well  known  to  him, 
and  the  news  of  our  having  appeared  off  the  Cape  some  months 
ago  had  driven  off  all  the  Yankee  whalers,  several  of  which 
had  been  accustomed  to  resort  hither.  King  Abdallah,  he  said, 
resided  on  the  east  side  of  the  island.  The  king  himself  would 
come  to  see  us,  but  was  very  busy  just  now  putting  up  a  sugar- 
mill,  which  he  had  just  received  from  the  Mauritius. 

The  island  is  a  beautiful,  picturesque  spot.  There  is  quite  a 
mountain  in  the  interior,  and  the  higher  parts  of  Johanna  are 
densely  wooded  ;  the  mountain-sides  being  in  some  places  so 
steep  that  the  tops  of  some  trees  touch  the  trunks  and  roots  of 
others. 

The  inhabitants  are  a  mixture  of  Arabs  and  negroes.  They  are 
intelligent  and  sprightly,  and  had  not  only  heard  of  the  American 
war,  but  said  it  bore  heavily  on  them,  as  they  were  now  compelled 
to  pay  a  much  higher  price  for  their  goods,  which  are  mostly 
cotton.  We  have  driven  away,  they  say,  all  their  Yankee  trade. 
The  Sultan  is  a  young  man  of  twenty-eight,  with  a  moderate  ha 
rem  of  only  five  wives. 

Thursday,  February  11  th. — Visited  the  town  to  get  sights  for 
my  chronometers — which  puts  the  town  at  44.26.30  N.,  just  30ff 
less  than  Captain  Owen's  determination.  The  town,  as  viewed 
from  the  anchorage,  is  a  picturesque  object,  with  its  tall  minaret, 
its  two  forts,  one  perched  on  a  hill  commanding  the  town,  and  the 
other  on  the  sea-beach,  and  its  stone  houses ;  but  the  illusion  is 
rudely  dispelled  on  landing.  You  land  on  a  beach  of  rocks  and 
shingle,  through  a  considerable  surf  even  in  the  calmest  weather. 
The  beach  was  strewn  with  the  washed  clothes  of  the  ship,  and  a 
set  of  vagabonds  of  all  colour,  save  only  that  of  the  Caucasian, 


CEUISE   OF  THE   ALABAMA  AND  THE  SUMTER.       225 

were  hanging  about  looking  curiously  on.  The  town  is  dilapidat 
ed  and  squalid  to  the  last  degree — the  houses  of  rough  stones, 
cemented  and  thatched  ;  the  streets  five  feet  wide,  and  rendered, 
as  it  would  seem,  purposely  crooked. 

It  was  the  second  day  of  the  fast  of  Ramadan,  and  groups  of 
idlers  were  congregated  in  the  narrow  porticoes  reading  the  Ko 
ran.  The  language,  which  is  peculiar  to  the  island,  is  very  soft 
and  pleasing  to  the  ear.  We  visited  one  of  the  principal  houses. 
The  walls  were  filled  with  a  number  of  small  niches,  receptacles 
for  everything  imaginable — coffee-cups,  ornaments,  &c.  A  num 
ber  of  couches  were  ranged  round  the  room. 

A  crowd  of  half-clad,  dirty  children  gathered  round  us,  but  no 
female  made  her  appearance.  We  took  our  sights  among  the 
gaping  multitude,  all  of  whom  were  very  civil  and  polite,  and  re 
turned  on  board  about  5  P.M.,  having  seen  all  the  outside  life  that 
was  to  be  seen  at  Auzuan.  The  inside  life  was,  of  course,  out  of 
our  reach. 

Upon  coming  on  deck  this  morning  I  was  struck  with  the 
soft  picturesque  beauty  of  the  hills,  as  shone  upon  by  the  morning 
sun  lighting  up  the  tops  and  sides,  and  throwing  the  valleys  and 
ravines  into  shade.  At  night  I  am  lulled  by  the  roar  of  the  sea 
upon  the  beach.  It  is  delightful  to  sniff  the  fragrance  of  the  land 
as  it  comes  off  to  us  upon  the  dew-laden  wings  of  the  softest  of 
breezes.  My  fellows  on  shore  looked  rueful  and  woe-begone — na 
ture  had  no  charms  for  them — there  was  no  liquor  to  be  had  !  If 
I  were  to  remain  here  long,  I  should  send  them  on  shore  as  a  pun 
ishment. 

Friday,  February  ]<2th. — This  is  the  Mahommedan  Sabbath, 
but  they  do  not  keep  it  so  grimly  as  the  Puritans.  We  had  a  num 
ber  of  visitors  on  board,  and  among  others,  several  princes,  cousins- 
german  of  the  Sultan,  one  of  them  being  the  Commander-in-Chief 
of  the  army.  He  gave  me  an  account  of  the  affair  of  the  Dale. 
Some  years  ago  two  Yankee  whalers  came  in.  One  of  them  ob 
tained  provisions  to  the  amount  of  two  hundred  and  fifty  dollars, 
telling  the  people  he  was  too  poor  to  pay  for  them  in  money,  but 
that  he  would  give  them  a  bill  on  the  Consul  at  Zanzibar.  To  this 
they  assented  ;  the  skipper  then  ran  off  with  his  ship  in  the  night, 
without  giving  the  bill.  They  seized  the  other  Captain  and  took 
him  on  shore,  to  keep  him  as  a  hostage  while  his  ship  should  go 
in  pursuit  of  the  runaway  and  get  the  promised  bill.  But  they 
thought  better  of  it  in  a  few  hours,  and  released  him.  The  Dale 
came  the  next  season  and  demanded  twenty-five  thousand  dollar^ 
threatening  to  burn  the  town  if  the  money  was  not*paid.  They 
could  not  pay  them,  there  being  probably  not  so  much  money  in 


226       CRUISE   OF  THE  ALABAMA  AND  THE  SUMTER. 

the  island.  The  Yankees  then  set  fire  to  one  end  of  the  town, 
cannonaded  the  fort,  doing  some  damage,  and  withdrew.  This  is 
about  the  usual  origin  of  Yankee  shipmasters'  complaints  to  their 
government.  I  made  a  present  of  a  captured  Yankee  clock  to 
each  of  the  princes,  and  gave  them  a  package  of  writing-paper. 
They  seemed  anxious  .to  get  some  finery  for  their  wives,  but  I  told 
them  we  were  not  in  that  line,  like  Yankee  whalers. 

Saturday,  February  13th. — Visited  the  town  again  to-day. 
Called  at  the  houses  of  a  couple  of  the  princes,  in  which  I  found 
everything  dirty,  with  an  attempt  at  tawdry  finery.  A  black  houri 
was  set  to  fan  me.  We  were  served  with  rose  syrup.  Walked 
to  the  prince's  garden — a  beautiful  wilderness  of  cocoa  and  betel 
nuts,  sweet  orange  and  mango,  with  heterogeneous  patches  of  rice, 
sweet  potatoes  and  beans,  and  here  and  there  a  cotton  plant.  Two 
or  three  slave  huts  were  dotted  about,  and  walls  of  loose  stones 
ran  along  crooked  lanes  and  bye- ways.  As  we  came  oft',  some  of 
the  inhabitants  were  at  evening  prayer,  and  others  preparing  to 
take  their  evening  meal.  People  met  us  everywhere  with  kindly 
greetings,  and  the  Cadi,  a  venerable-looking  old  man,  wished  me  a 
safe  return  to  my  own  country. 

Sunday,  February  14th. — Visited  in  force  again  to-day  by  the 
princes,  and  other  chief  men.  In  the  afternoon  the  high-priest 
visited  me.  He  was  a  fine-looking  man — Arab  by  descent — 
with  a  well-developed  forehead,  and  easy,  gentlemanly  bearing. 
He  wore  a  sword,  and  was  evidently  looked  upon  with  great 
respect  by  his  attendants.  He  expressed  much  sympathy  with 
our  cause,  and  said  he  would  pray  to  Allah  for  our  success. 
The  Yankee  whalers,  he  said,  invariably  stole  some  of  their  slaves. 
Said  they  could  not  do  very  well  without  the  whalers,  as  they 
were  the  only  traders  to  the  island,  and  brought  them  many  use 
ful  things. 

Monday,  February  15th. — Received  on  board  some  bullocks 
and  fruit;  paid  our  bills,  and  were  taken  leave  of  affectionately 
by  the  simple  people.  At  meridian  moved  out  of  the  anchorage 
under  steam,  amid  the  cheers,  given  in  real  English  fashion,  by 
the  many  boatmen  that  surrounded  us. 


CRUISE   OF  THE  ALABAMA  AND  THE'SUMTER.       227 


CHAPTER  XXXV. 

11  Man  overboard  T — Blowing  hard — Three  Years — Wearing  out — The 
Cape  again — Seizure  of  the  Tuscaloosa — Towards  Europe — War 
News —  What  the  Atibama  effected — Case  of  the  Rockingham — The  last 
capture — The  Tycoon — Nineteen  overhauled — In  the  Channel — At 
Cherbourg. 

FROM  the  middle  to  the  28th  February  there  was  but  little  ex 
citement  on  board  the  Alabama.  On  that  day  the  usual  routine 
of  life  on  a  man-of-war  was  broken  by  the  cry  of  "  Man  over 
board."  The  vessel  was  at  once  hove  to,  but  before  a  boat  could 
be  lowered  a  gallant  fellow,  Michael  Mars,  leapt  overboard,  and 
swimming  to  the  rescue  of  his  shipmate,  fortunately  succeeded  in 
saving  the  man's  life. 

On  the  third  of  March  they  saw  the  first  Cape  Pigeon  and 
Albatross,  and  on  the  4th  Captain  Semmes  writes  as  follows  : — 

The  gale  still  continues,  though  moderating  very  fast;  sea  not 
so  turbulent,  though  the  surf  is  thundering  into  it  now  and  then, 
and  keeping  the  decks  flooded.  'Tis  three  years  to-day  since  I 
parted  with  my  family  in  Washington,  on  the  day  in  which  Wash 
ington's  great  republic  was  humiliated  by  the  inauguration  as 
President  of  a  vulgar  democratic  politician,  in  whom  even  the 
great  events  in  which,  by  a  singular  destiny,  he  has  been  called  to 
take  a  part,  have  not  been  able  to  sink  the  mountebank.  These 
three  years  of  anxiety,  vigilance,  exposure,  and  excitement,  have 
made  me  an  old  man,  and  sapped  my  health,  rendering  repose 
necessary,  if  I  would  prolong  my  life.  My  ship  is  wearing  out, 
too,  as  well  as  her  commander,  and  will  need 'a  general  overhaul 
ing  by  the  time  I  can  get  her  into  dock.  If  my  poor  services  be 
deemed  of  any  importance  in  harassing  and  weakening  the  enemy, 
and  thus  contributing  to  the  independence  of  my  beloved  South, 
I  shall  be  amply  rewarded. 

The  Alabama  still  kept  on  through  gales,  with  creaking  cord 
age  and  jerking  tiller  ropes,  until  on  the  llth  of  March  the  Cape 
was  sighted,  off  which  they  were  knocked  about  until  the  20th 
instant;  lying  in  the  track  of  vessels  bounding  before  the  gale  at 
the  rate  of  ten  or  twelve  knots  an  hour,  and  only  able  to  see  them 
when  within  a  mile  of  the  ship. 

Arrived  in  Table  Bay,  Captain  Semmes  received  intelligence  of 


228       CRUISE   OF  THE  ALABAMA  AND  THE   SUMTER. 

the  seizure  of  the  Tuscaloosa,  upon  which  he  at  once  wrote  a  de 
spatch  to  Admiral  Walker.* 

The  Cape  was  left  on  the  25th  of  March,  the  vessel's  head  be 
ing  laid  towards  Europe,  and  on  the  29th  the  following  entry  is 
found  in  the  journal : — 

"I  have  at 'length  had  a  little  leisure  to  read  the  late  papers  re 
ceived  at  the  Cape.  The  Yankee  Government  and  people,  and 
with  them  a  great  portion  of  the  English  press  and  people,  seem 
to  have  jumped  suddenly  to  the  conclusion  that  we  are  beaten, 
and  that  the  war  must  soon  end  by  our  submission  !  Mr.  Lincoln 
has  even  gone  so  far  as  to  prescribe  the  terms  on  which  our  States 
may  re-enter  the  rotten  "  concern" — to  wit,  by  a  reorganization  of 
the  States  government  by  one-tenth  of  the  people.  Verily,  the 
delusion  of  these  men  in  the  matter  of  this  war  is  unaccountable. 
No  power  on  earth  can  subjugate  the  Southern  States,  although 
some  of  them  have  been  guilty  of  the  pusillanimity  of  making 
war  with  the  Yankees  against  their  sisters.  History  will  brand 
them  as  traitors  and  cowards.  As  for  the  tone  of  the  English 
press,  I  am  not  surprised  at  it.  England  is  too  rich  to  be  gene 
rous.  Our  war  for  her  is  a  sort  of  prize-fight,  and  she  is  looking 
on  in  about  the  same  spirit  with  which  her  people  lately  viewed 
the  prize  fight  between  King  and  Heenan.  Hurrah  one ;  well 
done  the  other." 

From  March  29th  to  April  22d  there  were  no  events  calling  for 
special  attention,  save  that  on  the  sixteenth  the  intelligence  was 
learned  from  the  master  of  a  French  ship  that  there  were  no 
American  vessels  at  the  Chincha  Islands,  though  in  July,  18C3, 
there  were  between  seventy  and  eighty  American  sail  there.  This 
speaks  volumes  of  the  terror  the  Alabama  had  excited. 

The  night  of  the  22d  of  April  was  employed  in  giving  chase  to 
a  strange  sail,  which  was  overhauled  at  daybreak  on  the  following 
morning  ;  and  the  United  States  flag  having  been  responded  to  by 
a  display  of  the  same  colours,  the  Alabama  boarded  and  took  pos 
session  of  the  guano-laden  ship,  Rockingham,  which  was  employed 
as  a  target,  and  then  set  fire  to.  The  cargo  being  claimed  as  the 
property  of  neutrals,  Captain  Semmes  examined  the  ship's  papers 
and  entered  the  following  in  his  journal : — 

CASE    OF   THE    ROCKINGHAM. 

"  Ship  under  United  States  colours  and  register.    Is  from  Callao, 
*  For  papers  relating  to  the  seizure  of  this  vessel,  see  Appendix. 


CRUISE   OF  THE   ALABAMA  AND  THE  SUMTER.       229 

bound  to  Cork  for  orders,  and  loaded  with  gnano.  This  guano 
purports  to  be  shipped  by  the  Guano  Consignment  Company  to 
Great  Britain.  One  Joseph  A.  Danino,  who  signs  for  Danino  and 
Moscosa,  certifies  that  the  guano  belongs  to  the  Peruvian  Govern 
ment  ;  and  Her  Britannic  Majesty's  Acting  Consul  at  Lima  certi 
fies  that  the  said  Joseph  A.  Danino  appeared  before  him  and 
*  voluntarily  declared'  *  that  the  foregoing  signature  is  of  his  own 
handwriting,  and  also  that  the  cargo  above  mentioned  is  truly  and 
verily  the  property  of  the  Peruvian  Government.' 

"As  this  is  the  only  certificate  of  the  neutrality  of  the  cargo 
among  the  papers,  and  as  nobody  swears  to  anything  in  this  certi 
ficate,  there  is  no  testimony  at  all.  The  ship  being  enemy's  pro 
perty,  and  the  cargo  being  presumed  to  be  enemy's  property  also, 
from  being  found  on  board  the  ship,  it  was  incumbent  on  the  neu 
tral  parties,  if  there  are  any  such  in  the  case,  to  have  documented 
their  property  by  sworn  certificates ;  and  this  rule  of  law  is  so 
well  known,  that  the  absence  of  an  oath  would  seem  to  be  conclu 
sive  as  to  the  fraudulent  attempt  to  cover.  Ship  and  cargo  con 
demned." 

This  capture  was  followed  by  that  of  the  Tycoon,  on  the  27th 
of  the  same  month ;  and  as  no  claim  of  neutrality  of  cargo  was 
made,  the  ship  was  burned.  This,  as  it  afterwards  turned  out,  was 
the  last  of  the  Alabama's  prizes.  Nineteen  other  vessels  were 
overhauled  before  she  reached  Cherbourg,  but  not  one  of  them 
sailed  under  the  Stars  and  Stripes.  When  it  is  remembered  that 
no  less  than  sixty-five  American  ships  had  been  taken  by  the  gal 
lant  cruiser,  it  is  not  much  to  be  wondered  at  that  the  Yankee 
flag  was  a  rara  avis  on  the  high  seas. 

From  the  25th  of  May  to  the  10th  of  June  the  Alabama  was 
making  her  way  north,  and  on  the  last-named  date  she  was  abreast 
of  the  Lizard,  and  was  boarded  by  a  Channel  pilot.  "  I  felt," 
writes  Captain  Semmes,  "  great  relief  to  have  him  on  board,  as  I 
was  quite  knocked  up  with  cold  and  fever,  and  was  too  ill-qualified 
physically  for  exposure  to  the  weather  and  watching  through  the 
night.  And  thus,  thanks  to  an  all-wise  Providence,  we  have 
brought  the  cruise  of  the  Alabama  to  a  successful  termination." 

Little  could  Captain  Semmes  have  imagined,  when  he  penned 
these  lines,  that  the  cruising  days  of  his  vessel  were  so  soon  to  end. 
The  vessel  entered  Cherbourg  on  the  morning  of  the  llth.  Two 
days  after  news  was  received  that  the  Kearsarge  would  shortly  ar 
rive  there,  intelligence  which  was  confirmed  next  day  by  the  ap 
pearance  of  that  vessel. 


230       CRUISE   OF  THE  ALABAMA  AND  THE   SUMTER. 


CHAPTER  XXXVI. 

The  Kearsarge — Preparations — The  iron-clad — State  of  the  Alabama- — 
Out  of  the  harbour — The  Deerhound — The  Captain's  address — Ar 
maments  of  the  combatants — Plan  of  action — The  engagement — 
Rapid  fire — Badly  wounded — Sinking — The  end  of  the  Alabama 
— In  the  water — Gallant  conduct — Surgeon  Llewellyn — The  Deer- 
hound  to  the  rescue — The  enemy' s  boats — Not  a  wrack — The  inform 
ing  spirit. 

IT  was  written  that  the  Alabama  was  never  to  behold  the  ports  of 
her  country ! 

The  latest  entries  in  the  diary  of  Captain  Serames  are  of  an 
interest  too  great  to  permit  us  to  exclude  them,  prior  to  the  nar 
ration  of  the  memorable  duel  which  closes  the  history  of  a  vessel 
whose  renown,  short  as  her  career  has  been,  may  challenge  that 
of  any  ship  that  has  spread  a  sail  upon  the  waters,  and  casts  a 
lustre  even  upon  the  heroic  history  of  the  Confederate  States. 

On  Tuesday,  June  14th,  Captain  Semmes  writes: — 

"  Great  excitement  on  board,  the  Kearsarge  having  made  her 
appearance  off  the  eastern  entrance  of  the  breakwater,  at 
about  11  A.M.  Sent  an  order  on  shore  immediately  for  coal  (one 
hundred  tons),  and  sent  down  the  yards  on  the  mizen-mast,  and 
the  topgallant  yards,  and  otherwise  preparing  the  ship  for  action. 

"  Wednesday,  June  15th. — The  Admiral  sent  off  his  aide  to  say 
that  he  considered  my  application  for  repairs  withdrawn  upon 
my  making  application  for  coal,  to  which  I  assented.  We  com 
menced  coaling  this  afternoon.  The  Kearsarge  is  still  in  the  of 
fing;  she  has  not  been  permitted  to  receive  on  board  the  prisoners 
landed  by  me,  to  which  I  had  objected  in  a  letter  to  the  Admiral. 
Mailed  a  note  yesterday  afternoon  for  Flagofficer  Barrow,  inform 
ing  him  of  my  intention  to  go  out  to  engage  the  enemy  as  soon 
as  I  could  make  my  preparations,  and  sent  a  written  notice  to  the 
U.S.  consul,  through  Mr.  Bonfils,  to  the  same  effect.  My  crew 
seems  to  be  in  the  right  spirit,  a  quiet  spirit  of  determination  per 
vading  both  officers  and  men.  The  combat  will  no  doubt  be  con 
tested  and  obstinate;  but  the  two  ships  are  so  equally  matched,  I 
do  not  feel  at  liberty  to  decline  it.  God  defend  the  right,  and  have 
mercy  upon  the  souls  of  those  who  fall,  as  many  of  us  must !" 

"It  has  been  denied  that  the  captain  of  the  Kearsarge  sent  a 
challenge  to  the  Alabama.  Captain  Semmes,  indeed,  says  nothing 


CRUISE   OF  THE   ALABAMA  AND  TIIE  SUMTER.        231 

of  it  himself.  What  the  Kearsarge  did — and  with  a  particular  ob 
ject,  there  cannot  be  a  doubt — was,  as  recorded,  to  enter  the 
breakwater  at  the  east  end,  and  "at  about  11  A.M.,  on  Tuesday, 
she  passed  through  the  west  end  without  anchoring"  These  are 
the  words  of  a  French  naval  captain,  who  speaks  of  what  he  saw. 
Few  will  deny  that  among  brave  men  this  would  be  considered 
something  equivalent  to  a  challenge.  It  was  more  than  a  chal 
lenge — it  was  a  defiance.  The  officer  we  have  quoted  adds,  that 
"anyone  could  then  see  her  outside  protection."  It  is  easy  to  see 
everything  after  the  event.  The  Kearsarge  looked  bulky  in  her 
middle  section  to  an  inspecting  eye ;  but  she  was  very  low  in  the 
water,  and  that  she  was  armed  to  resist  shot  and  shell  it  was  im 
possible  to  discern.  It  is  distinctly  averred  by  the  officers  of  the 
Alabama  that  from  their  vessel  the  armour  of  the  Kearsarge 
could  not  be  distinguished.  There  were  many  reports  abroad  that 
she  was  protected  on  her  sides  in  some  peculiar  way  ;  but  all 
were  various  and  indistinct,  and  to  a  practical  judgment  untrust 
worthy.  Moreover,  a  year  previous  to  this  meeting,  the  Kearsarge 
had  lain  at  anchor  close  under  the  critical  eye  of  Captain  Sein- 
mes.  He  had  on  that  occasion  seen  that  his  enemy  was  not  arti 
ficially  defended.  He  believes  now  that  the  reports  of  her  plating 
and  armour  were  so  much  harbour-gossip,  of  which  during  his 
cruises  he  had  experienced  enough. 

Now  the  Kearsarge  was  an  old  enemy,  constantly  in  pursuit, 
and  her  appearance  produced,  as  Captain  Semmes  has  written, 
great  excitement  on  board  the  Alabama.  And  let  us  here  call  at 
tention  to  what  the  officers  and  men  of  the  illustrious  Confederate 
ship  had  been  enduring  for  the  space  of  two  years.  During  all  this 
time  they  had  been  homeless,  and  without  a  prospect  of  reaching 
home.  They  had  been  constantly  crowded  with  prisoners,  who 
devoured  their  provender — of  which  they  never  had  any  but  a  pre 
carious  supply.  Their  stay  in  any  neutral  harbour  was  necessarily 
short  as  the  perching  of  a  hawk  on  a  bough.  Like  the  hawk's  in 
upper  air,  the  Alabama's  safety  as  well  as  her  business  was  on  the 
high  seas.  Miserably  fed,  hunted,  eluding,  preying,  destroying — 
is  this  a  life  that  brave  men  would  willingly  have  to  be  continuous? 
They  were  fortified  by  the  assurance  of  a  mighty  service  done  to 
their  country.  They  knew  that  they  inflicted  tremendous  damage 
upon  their  giant  foe.  They  were,  perhaps,  supported  by  the  sense 
that  their  captain's  unrivalled  audacity  had  done  more  harm  to  the 
United  States  than  the  operations  of  many  thousand  men.  But 
their  days  were  wretched  ;  their  task  was  sickening ;  it  demands 
an  imagination  that  can  fix  its  eye  upon  stern,  barren  duty  as  a 
planet  never  darkened,  always  visible,  for  such  a  life  as  this  to  be 


232        CRUISE  OF  THE  ALABAMA  AND  THE  SUMTER. 

carried  on  uncomplainingly  and  without  a  passionate  longing 
for  the  bare  exercise  of  hard  blows.  In  addition,  they  read  of  the 
reproaches  heaped  upon  them  by  comfortable  shore-men.  They 
were  called  pirates,  and  other  gloomy  titles.  The  execrations  of 
certain  of  the  French  and  English,  and  of  all  the  United  States 
press,  sounded  in  their  ears  across  the  ocean ;  but  from  their  own 
country  they  heard  little.  The  South  was  a  sealed  land  in  com 
parison  with  the  rest  of  the  world.  Opinion  spoke  loudest  in  Eu 
rope,  and  though  they  knew  that  they  were  faithfully,  gallantly, 
and  marvellously  serving  their  country  in  her  sore  need,  the  ab- 
scence  of  any  immediate  comfort,  either  physical  or  moral,  helped 
to  make  them  keenly  sensitive  to  virulent  criticism,  even  to  that 
of  avowed  and  clamorous  enemies. 

It  was  this  state  of  mind  through  the  whole  crew  which  caused 
the  excitement  on  board  the  Alabama  when  the  Kearsarge  steamed 
in  and  out  of  the  breakwater.  Now,  and  at  last,  our  day  of  ac 
tion  has  come !  was  the  thought  of  every  man  on  board.  The 
chivalrous  give  and  take  of  battle  was  glorious  to  men  who  had 
alternately  hunted  and  fled  for  so  dreary  a  term.  They  trusted  for 
victory ;  but  defeat  itself  was  to  be  a  vindication  of  their  whole 
career,  and  they  welcomed  the  chances  gladly. 

The  application  for  coal  at  a  neutral  port  was  in  itself  a  renun 
ciation  of  any  further  hospitality  from  the  harbour,  as  Captain 
Serames  was  aware.  The  Port-admiral  contented  himself  with 
pointing  it  out  to  him.  A  duel  is  not  an  unpopular  thing  in 
France.  The  prospective  combat  of  two  apparently  equally-match 
ed  ships  of  war  would  have  been  sufficient  to  have  melted  any 
scruples  entertained  by  Frenchmen  in  authority ;  they  were  only 
too  happy  to  assist  towards  an  engagement  between  Federals  and 
Confederates,  the  latter  being  as  popular  in  France  as  in  England, 
to  say  nothing  for  the  sympathy  excited  for  the  Alabama.  French 
officers  agreed  with  Captain  Semrnes  in  thinking  that  there  was 
marked  offence  and  defiance  in  the  mauoauvres  of  the  Kearsarge, 
and  that  he  could  hardly  do  less  than  go  out  and  meet  her.  We 
have  done  our  best  to  show  that  the  Captain,  whether  in  IMS  heart 
he  felt  the  mere  chances  to  be  equal  or  not,  was  anxious  to  per 
suade  himself  that  they  were  so.  He  knew  his  opponent  to  be 
the  heavier  in  ship,  battery,  and  crew,  but  **  I  did  not  know  that 
she  was  also  iron-clad,"  he  says.  Personally  he  desired  the  battle ; 
the  instigations  of  an  enthusiastic  crew,  unanimous  for  action,  as 
also  of  friendly  foreign  officers,  are  to  be  taken  into  account. 
Those  who  venture,  now  that  we  are  enabled  to  measure  by  results, 
to  cast  blame  upon  him,  should  first,  in  justice,  throw  themselves 
into  his  position.  President  Davis  may  deplore  the  loss  of  a 


CRUISE   OF  THE  ALABAMA  AND  THE  SUMTER.       233 

vessel  that  did  a  mighty  service,  but  we  doubt  not  that  he  will  en 
dorse  the  honourable  words  of  Mr.  Mason  in  his  justification  of 
Captain  Semmes,  and  rejoice  that  the  man  who  was  the  ship,  is 
saved  for  further  service  to  the  Confederacy. 

On  Sunday,  in  the  morning,  being  the  19th  June,  the  Alabama 
steamed  out  of  Cherbourg  harbour  by  the  opening  to  the  west, 
and  steered  straight  to  meet  the  Kearsarge,  accompanied  by  the 
French  iron-clad  La  Couronne.  The  late  foul  weather  had  given 
way  to  a  gentle  breeze,  and  the  subsiding  swell  of  the  Atlantic 
wave  under  a  clear  sky  made  the  day  eminently  favourable  for  the 
work  in  hand.  All  Cherbourg  was  on  the  heights  above  the  town 
and  along  the  bastions  and  the  mole.  Never  did  knightly  tourna 
ment  boast  a  more  eager  multitude  of  spectators.  It  chanced 
fortunately  that  an  English  steam-yacht,  the  Deerhound,  with 
its  owner,  Mr.  John  Lancaster,  and  his  family,  on  board,  was  in 
harbour  at  the  time.  The  Deerhound  followed  the  Alabama  at  a 
respectful  distance,  and  was  the  closest  witness  of  the  fight.  Some 
French  pilot-boats  hung  as  near  as  they  considered  prudent.  At 
the  limit  of  neutral  waters  the  Alabama  parted  company  with  her 
escort,  and  the  Couronne  returned  to  within  a  league  of  the  shore. 

Left  to  herself  at  last,  the  Alabama  made  her  final  preparations 
for  the  coming  struggle.  Mustering  all  his  ship's  company  upon 
the  deck,  Captain  Semmes  addressed  them  as  follows  : — 

"  OFFICERS  AND  SEAMEN  OF  THE  ALABAMA  : 

"You  have,  at  length*  another  opportunity  of  meeting  the 
enemy — the  first  that  has  been  presented  to  you  since  you  sunk 
the  Hatteras !  In  the  meantime,  you  have  been  all  over  the 
world,  and  it  is  not  too  much  to  say  that  you  have  destroyed,  and 
'driven  for  protection  under  neutral  flags,  one-half  of  the  enemy's 
commerce,  which,  at  the  beginning  of  the  war,  covered  every  sea. 
This  is  an  achievement  of  which  you  may  well  be  proud  ;  and  a 
grateful  country  will  not  be  unmindful  of  it.  The  name  of  your 
ship  has  become  a  household  word  wherever  civilization  extends. 
Shall  that  name  be  tarnished  by  defeat  ?  The  thing  is  impossible! 
Remember  that  you  are  in  the  English  Channel,  the  theatre  of  so 
much  of  the  naval  glory  of  our  race,  and  that  the  eyes  of  all  Eu 
rope  are  at  this  moment  upon  you.  The  flag  that  floats  over  you 
is  that  of  a  young  republic,  which  bids  defiance  to  her  enemy's, 
whenever  and  wherever  found.  Show  the  world  that  you  know 
how  to  uphold  it.  Go  to  your  quarters."* 

*  The  above  is  a  correct  report  of  Captain  Semmes'  address  on  this  oc^ 
casion.  Various  statements  have  appeared  as  to  the  way  in  which  it  was 

11 


234:     OBTUSE  OF  THE  ALABAMA  AND  THE  SUMTER. 

It  took  three-quarters  of  an  hour  for  the  Alabama  to  come 
within  range  of  the  Kearsarge.  At  the  distance  of  one  mile,  the 
Alabama  opened  fire  with  solid  shot.  The  Kearsarge  took  time 
to  reply.  After  ten  minutes  the  firing  was  sharp  on  both  sides. 

According  to  the  statement  of  the  Captain  of  the  Kearsarge, 
her  battery  consisted  of  seven  guns — to  wit,  two  11-inch  Dahl- 
grens — very  powerful  pieces  of  ordnance ;  four  32-pounders,  one 
light  rifle  28-pounder.  She  went  into  action  with  a  crew  of  162 
officers  and  men. 

The  armament  of  the  Alabama  consisted  of  one  7-inch  Blakeley 
rifled  gun,  one  8-inch  smooth-bore  pivot  gun,  six  32-pounders, 
smooth-bore,  in  broadside.  The  Alabama's  crew  numbered  not 
more  than  120.  On  this  head  Captain  Winslow  speaks  erroneously. 
He  sets  down  the  Alabama's  crew  at  150  officers  and  men.  The 
Alabama  had  a  formidable  piece  in  the  Blakeley  rifled  gun,  but 
she  was  destitute  of  steel  shot. 

It  will  thus  be  seen  that  there  was  inequality  between  the 
antagonists.  Captain  Winslow  speaks  of  the  Alabama  having 
"  one  gun  more"  than  the  Kearsarge.  His  two  great  Dahlgrens 
gave  the  balance  altogether  in  his  favour.  But  in  an  estimate  of 
the  rival  capabilities  of  the  two  vessels,  the  deteriorated  speed  of 
the  Alabama  should  be  considered  as  her  principal  weakness. 
Cherbourg  had  done  little  to  repair  the  copper  of  her  bottom, 
which  spread  out  in  broad  fans  and  seriously  impeded  her  cut 
ting  of  the  water ;  and  it  had  been  found  impossible  to  do  more 
than  to  patch  up  the  boilers  for  the  da/s  business.  They  were  not 
in  a  state  to  inspire  the  engineers  with  confidence.  The  Kear 
sarge,  on  the  other  hand,  was  in  first  rate  condition  and  well  in 
hand.  She  speedily  showed  that  she  could  overhaul  the  Alabama. 
In  fact,  the  Alabama  entered  the  lists  when  she  should  have  been 
lying  in  dock.  She  fought  with  an  exhausted  frame.  She  had 
the  heroism  to  decide  upon  the  conflict,  without  the  strength  to 
choose  the  form  of  it.  After  some  little  manoeuvring  this  became 
painfully  evident  to  Captain  Semmes.  The  Kearsarge  selected. her 
distance  at  a  range  of  five  hundred  yards,  and  being  well  protected 
she  deliberately  took  time  and  fired  with  sure  effect. 

Captain  Semmes  had  great  confidence  in  the  power  of  his 
Blakeley  rifled  gun,  and  we  believe  it  is  a  confidence  not  shaken 
by  its  failure  to  win  the  day  for  him.  He  wished  to  get  within 
easy  range  of  his  enemy,  that  he  might  try  this  weapon  effectively; 

received.  Captain  Semmes  states,  "  The  only  replies  that  were  made  were 
shouts  from  the  seamen  of  '  Never!  never!'  when  I  spoke  of  the  name  of 
their  ship  being  tarnished  by  defeat." 


CRUISE   OF  THE   ALABAMA  AND  THE  SUMTEK.       235 

bnt  any  attempt  on  his  part  to  come  to  closer  quarters  was  con 
strued  by  the  Kearsarge  as  a  design  to  bring  the  engagement  be 
tween  the  ships  to  a  hand-to-hand  conflict  between  the  men. 
Having  the  speed,  she  chose  her  distance,  and  made  all  thought 
of  boarding  hopeless. 

It  was  part  of  the  plan  of  Captain  Semmes  to  board,  if  possible, 
at  some  period  of  the  day,  supposing  that  he  could  not  quickly  de 
cide  the  battle  with  artillery.  It  was  evidently  Captain  Winslow's 
determination  to  avoid  the  old-fashioned  form  of  a  naval  encoun 
ter,  and  to  fight  altogether  in  the  new  style ;  his  superior  steam 
power  gave  him  the  option.  When  the  Alabama  took  her  death- 
wound  she  was  helpless.  We  must  interpret  the  respectful  distance 
maintained  by  the  Kearsarge  up  to  the  very  last,  and  the  persist 
ent  plying  of  her  guns  while  the  side  of  the  sinking  ship  was  visi 
ble,  as  a  settled  resolution  on  Captain  Winslow's  part  to  trust  to 
guns  alone,  and  throughout,  so  that  a  dangerous  proximity  might 
be  shunned.  That  much  homage  was  paid  by  him  to  the  hostile 
crew,  and  that  his  manoeuvre  was  creditably  discreet,  few  will 
deny. 

The  crew  of  the  Alabama,  seamen  and  officers,  were  in  high 
spirits  throughout  the  engagement,  though  very  early  the  slaugh 
ter  set  in  and  the  decks  were  covered  with  blood.  Their  fire  was 
rapid  and  admirable.  It  has  been  said  in  the  House  of  Lords  by 
no  less  a  person  than  the  Duke  of  Somerset,  that  her  firing  was 
positively  bad  ;  and  that  she  hit  the  Kearsarge  only  three  times 
during  the  action.  By  Captain  Winslow's  own  admission  the  Kear 
sarge  was  hit  twenty-eight  times  by  shot  and  shell — or  once  to 
every  fifth  discharge.  No  seaman  knowing  anything  of  an  actual 
engagement  on  the  deep  will  object  to  the  accuracy  of  such  an 
aim.  Had  the  Kearsarge  shown  the  same  blank  sides  as  the 
Alabama,  another  tale  might  have  been  told.  Captain  Semmes, 
however,  perceived  that  his  shell  rebounded  after  striking  her,  and 
exploded  harmlessly.  This  led  him  to  rely  upon  solid  shot.  The 
Alabama,  not  being  thus  or  in  any  way  shielded,  was  pierced  with 
shell,  and  soon  showed  vast  rents  in  her  after-part.  Her  pivot-gun 
was  a  distinct  mark  for  the  enemy,  and  a  single  shell  exploding 
near  it  killed  and  wounded  half  the  number  of  men  by  whom  it 
was  worked.  Each  ship  fought  her  starboard  broadside,  and  steam 
ed  in  a  circle  to  keep  that  side  to  the  enemy.  So,  for  an  hour, 
this,  to  a  distant  spectator,  monotonous  manoeuvre  continued, 
without  perceptibly  narrowing  the  range.  Captain  Semmes  was 
standing  on  the  quarter-deck  when  the  chief  engineer  sent  word 
to  say  that  the  ship  was  endangered  by  leakage.  The  first  lieu 
tenant,  Mr.  Kell,  was  sent  below  to  inspect  the  damage.  He  re- 


236       CRUISE   OF  THE   ALABAMA  AND  THE  SUMTEE. 

turned  with  word  that  the  ship  was  sinking.  Captain  Semmes  at 
once  ordered  the  ship  to  be  put  about  and  steered  towards  shore. 
But  the  water  was  rising  in  her  :  the  fires  were  speedily  extin 
guished.  The  Alabama's  shot  from  slackening  had  now  ceased. 
It  was  evident  to  all  on  board  that  she  was  doomed.  To  have 
continued  firing  would  have  been  to  indulge  a  stupid  rancour,  and 
to  act  in  such  a  manner  is  not  in  the  nature  of  a  seaman  like  Cap 
tain  Semmes.  On  the  contrary,  his  thoughts  were  directed  to 
wards  saving  the  lives  of  his  crew.  He  gave  command  for  the 
Confederate  flag  to  be  hauled  down. 

Many  wild  stories  are  being  told  of  something  like  a  mutiny 
of  the  crew  at  this  desecration  of  the  Southern  banner ;  of  how 
they  implored  the  Captain  to  spare  them  the  disgrace  of  it; 
and  of  a  certain  quartermaster  drawing  his  cutlass,  daring  any 
hand  on  board  to  haul  down  the  flag,  and  being  dramatically 
threatened  with  a  loaded  pistol  by  Mr.  Kell,  the  First  Lieutenant, 
and  so  brought  to  his  senses.  The  fact  is,  that  the  flag  came  down 
quietly  and  decorously.  All  on  board  perceived  that  there  was  no 
.help  for  it,  and  that  it  would  be  a  shocking  breach  of  humanity  to 
imperil  the  lives  of  the  wounded  men. 

The  general  detestation  of  the  Yankee  was  yet  more  strongly 
instanced  when  the  men  were  struggling  for  life  in  the  water.  The 
head  of  every  man  was  pointed  away,  as  if  instinctively,  from  the 
vessel  that  stood  nearest  to  rescue  him.  One  who  was  hailed  from 
the  Kearsarge  with  the  offer  of  a  rescue,  declined  it  civilly,  and 
made  his  way  for  the  neutral  flag.  The  men  swam  as  if  they  had 
still  an  enemy  behind  them,  and  not  one  that  was  ready  to  save. 
Tardy  as  were  the  boats  of  the  Kearsarge  in  descending  to  per 
form  this  office,  they  found  many  of  the  poor  fellows  still  painfully 
supporting  themselves  above  the  surface.  Of  these,  both  men  and 
officers,  when,  after  being  hauled  into  the  boats,  they  had  dashed 
the  blinding  salt  water  from  their  eyes  and  discovered  among 
whom  they  were,  many  sprang  overboard  again,  preferring  any 
risk  to  the  shelter  of  the  Federalists.  Hatred  to  the  flag  of  the 
old  Union  and  love  of  their  Captain  appear  to  have  been  their 
chief  active  passions.  When  taken  on  board  the  Deerhound,  the 
question  as  to  the  safety  of  Captain  Sernmes  was  foremost  in  every 
mouth. 

Captain  Semmes  asserts  that  shots  were  fired  at  the  Alabama 
after  the  signal  of  surrender.  We  will  not  attempt  to  substantiate 
a  charge  like  this  :  but  French  officers  maintain  it  to  be  an  unde 
niable  fact  that,  after  the  Confederate  tla^  had  been  lowered,  the 
Kearsarge  fired  no  less  than  five  shots  into  her.  We  believe  that 
Captain  Winslow  does  not  deny  the  charge;  but  asserts  that  he 


CEUISE   OF  THE  ALABAMA  AND   THE   SUMTER,      237 

was  unaware  of  the  act  of  surrender.  In  his  letter  to  the  Daily 
News,  he  declares  the  accusation  that  he  had  been  guilty  of  this 
act  to  be  "twaddle"  (we  quote  his  own  phrase). 

The  master's  mate  of  the  Alabama,  Mr.  Fullam,  was  despatched 
in  the  dingey  to  the  Kearsarge  with  a  request  that  assistance 
might  immediately  be  given  in  rescuing  the  lives  of  the  wounded 
men.  It  was  promised,  but  the  fulfilment  of  the  promise,  owing, 
as  we  trust  it  may  be  proved,  to  circumstances  incidental  to 
the  fight,  was,  as  we  have  said,  tardy.  Captain  Winslow  ex 
pressed  himself  in  kindly  terms  with'regard  to  his  old  shipmate 
in  the  days  when  the  Union  was  not  a  mockery  of  its  name ; 
Captain  Semmes  having  served  with  him  in  the  same  vessel 
many  years  back.  During  Mr.  Fullam's  absence  the  Alabama 
had  gone  down  stern  foremost.  All  the  wounded  had  been 
stretched  in  the  whale-boat  for  transmission  to  the  Kearsarge. 
The  surgeon  of  the  Alabama,  an  Englishman,  Mr.  David  Herbert 
Llewellyn,  son  of  an  incumbent  of  a  Wiltshire  parsonage,  and  god 
son  of  the  late  Lord  Herbert  of  Lea,  was  offered  a  place  in  this 
boat.  He  refused  it,  saying  that  he  would  not  peril  the  wounded 
men,  and  he  sank  with  the  Alabama.  The  rest  of  the  crew,  with 
their  captain,  were  already  in  the  waves.  Mr.  Lancaster  meantime 
had  steamed  up  to  the  Kearsarge,  requesting  permission  to  assist 
in  saving  life,  and  he  was  soon  among  them,  throwing  lines  from 
the  yacht,  and  picking  up  many  exhausted  men  in  his  boats.  The 
loss  of  men  by  drowning  was  nineteen,  including  an  officer  (Mr. 
Llewellyn),  carpenter,  and  assistant-engineer.  The  loss  in  killed 
and  wounded  was  twenty-eight,  of  whom  seven  were  killed.  Not 
a  wrack  of  the  Alabama  was  secured  by  the  victors  in  this  me 
morable  sea-fight.  The  captain  and  his  officers  dropped  their 
swords  into  the  deep  ;  the  men  drove  their  oars  into  the  bottoms 
of  the  boats.  One  spirit — the  spirit  of  the  unconquerable  Confede 
ration  of  the  Southern  States — animated  all.  Not  a  man  who  was 
able  to  support  himself  in  the  water,  swam  towards  the  Kearsarge. 

So  sank  the  Alabama.  It  would  have  been  glorious  for  her  to 
have  won,  but  it  was  not  disgraceful  that  the  day  went  against  her. 
She  fought  against  odds  such  as  brave  commanders  are  not  in  the 
habit  of  declining ;  she  fought  to  the  water's  edge.  An  end  like 
this,  and  the  splendid  antecedents  she  points  to,  have  made  her 
name  and  that  of  her  captain  household  words.  Her  flag  has  been 
indeed  a  "meteor  flag,"  and  that  it  shall  "yet  terrific  burn"  we 
may  reckon  to  be  probable,  when  it  is  remembered  that  the  in 
forming  spirit,  of  which  the  good  vessel  was  but  the  gross  body,  is 
alive,  and  prepared  once  more  to  offer  himself  to  the  land  of  his 
choice  for  service  upon  the  seas. 


APPENDIX. 


No.  I. 

CAPTURES  OF  THE  SUMTER. 

Abby  Bradford — Of  New  York,  from  New  York  to  Puerto  Ca- 
ballo.  Captured  25th  July,  1861,  N.E.  of  Laguayra,  Ven 
ezuela. 

Sent  to  New  Orleans.     Recaptured  by  enemy. 

Albert  Adams — Of  Massachusetts.  Captured  5th  July,  1861, 
four  leagues  off  Cienfuegos. 

Sent  to  Cienfuegos.   Released  by  Captain-General  of  Cuba. 

Arcade — Of   Maine,   from  Portland,   Maine,   to   Guadaloupe. 
Captured  26th  November,  1861,  in  lat.  20°  27'  N.,  long. 
57°  15'  W. 
Burned. 

Ben  Dunning — Of  Maine.  Captured  5th  July,  1861,  four 
leagues  off  Cienfuegos. 

Sent  to  Cienfuegos.   Released  by  Captain-General  of  Cuba. 

Cuba — Of  Maine,  from  Trinidad  to  English  ports.     Captured 
4th  July,  1861,  in  lat.  21°  29'  N.,  long.  84°  06'  W. 
Sent  to  Cienfuegos.     Retaken  by  enemy. 

Daniel  Trowbridge — Of  Connecticut,  from  New  York  to  Dem- 
erara.     Captured  27th  October,  1861,  in  lat.   17°  54'  N., 
long.  56°  30'  W. 
Burned. 


240 

• 

Ebenezer  Dodge — Of  Massachusetts,  from  New  Bedford  to  South 
Pacific  (whaling).     Captured  8th  December,  1861,  in  lat. 
30°  57'  N.,  long.  51°  49'  W. 
Burned. 

Golden  Rocket — Of  Bangor,  Maine.     Captured  3d  July,  1861,  in 
lat.  21°  29'  N.,  long.  84°  06'  W.     Valued  at  $35,000. 
Burned. 

Investigator — Of  Maine,  from  Spain  to  Newport,  "Wales.  Cap 
tured  18th  January,  1862,  in  Straits  of  Gibraltar.  Valued 
at  $15,000, 

Released  on  ransom  bond. 

Joseph  Maxwell — Of  Pennsylvania.  Captured  27th  July,  1861, 
seven  miles  from  Puerto  Caballo. 

Sent  to  Cienfuegos.  Released  by  Governor-General  of  Cuba. 

Joseph  Parlces — Of  Massachusetts,  from  Pernambuco  to  Boston. 
Captured  25th  September,  1861,  in  lat.  6°  20'  N.,  long.  42° 
24' W. 
Burned. 

Louisa  Kilham — Of  Massachusetts.  Captured  6th  July,  1861, 
five  miles  from  Cienfuegos. 

Sent  to  Cienfuegos.    Released  by  Captain-General  of  Cuba. 

Machias — Of  Maine,  from  Trinidad  to  an  English  port.     Cap 
tured  4th  July,  1861,  in  lat.  21°  29'  N.,  long.  84°  06'  W. 
Sent  to  Cienfuegos.    Released  by  Captain-General  of  Cuba. 

Montmorency — Of  Maine,  from  Newport,  Wales,  to  St.  Thomas. 
Captured  25th  November,  1861,  in  lat.  18°  30'  N.,  long. 
58°  40'  W.     Valued  at  $20,000. 
Released  under  ransom  bond. 

Naiad— Of  New  York.  Captured  6th  July,  1861,  five  miles 
from  Cienfuegos. 

Sent  to  Cienfuegos.    Released  by  Captain-General  of  Cuba. 

Neapolitan — Of  Massachusetts,  from  Messina  to  Boston.     Cap 
tured  18th  January,  1862,  in  Straits  of  Gibraltar. 
Burned. 


241 

Vigilans — Of  Maine,  from  New  York  to  Island  of  Sombrero. 
Captured  3d  December,  1861,  in  lat.  29°  10'  N.,  long.  57° 
22'  W.     Valued  at  $40,000. 
Burned. 

• 

West  Wind— Of  Rhode  Island.     Captured  6th  July,  1861,  five 
miles  off  Cienfuegos. 

Sent  to  Cienfuegos.    Released  by  Captain-General  of  Cuba. 


CAPTURES  OF  THE  ALABAMA. 

Alert — Of  New  London,  from  New  London  to  the  Indian  Ocean 
(whaling).      Captured   9th   September,    1862,    off   Flores. 
Valued  at  $20,000. 
Burned. 

Altamaha — Of  New  Bedford,   from  New  Bedford   (whaling). 
Captured  13th  September,  1862,  in  lat.  40°  34'  N.,  25°  24' 
W.     Valued  at  $3,000. 
Burned. 

• 

Amanda — Of    United    States,  from    Manilla   to   Queenstown. 
Captured  6th  November,  1863,  in  lat.  7°  00'  S.,  long.  103° 
19'  E.     Valued  at  $104,442. 
Burned. 

Amazonian — Of  New  York,  from  New  York  to  Monte  Video. 
Captured  2d  June,  1863,  in  lat.  15°  09',  long.  55°  04'.     Val 
ued  at  $97,665. 
Burned. 

Anna  F.  Schmidt — Of  Maine,  from  Boston  (via  St.  Thomas) 
to  San  Francisco.     Captured  2d  July,  1863,  in  lat.  26°  14', 
long.  37°  51'.     Valued  at  $350,000. 
Burned. 

Ariel — Of  New  York,  from  New  York  to  Aspinwall.     Cap 
tured  7th  Dec.,  1862,  off  Cape  Maize.     Valued  at  $261,000. 
Released  on  bond. 
11* 


242 

Baron  de  Castine — Of  Castine,  from  Bangor  to  Cardenas.    Cap 
tured  29th  October,  1862,  in  lat.   about  39°  18'  N.,  long, 
about  69°  12'  W.     Valued  at  $6,000. 
Released  on  bond. 

Benjamin  Tucker — Of  New  Bedford,  from  New  Bedford  (whal 
ing).     Captured  14th  September,  1862,  off  Flores.     Valued 
at  $18,000. 
Burned. 

Bethia  Thayer — Of  Maine.     Captured  1st  March,  1863,  in  lat. 
29°  50'  N.,  long.  38°  31'  W.     Valued  at  $40,000. 
Released  on  bond. 

Brilliant — Of  New  York,  from  New  York  to  Liverpool.     Cap 
tured  3d  October,  1862,  in  lat.  39°  58'  N.,  long.  50°  00'  W. 
Valued  at  $164,000. 
Burned. 

Charles   Hill — Of   Boston,   from   Liverpool   to   Monte   Video. 
Captured  25th  March,  1863,  in  lat.   1°  22',  long.  26°  08'. 
Valued  at  $28,450. 
Burned. 

Chastelaine — Of  Boston,  from  Martinique  to  Cienfuegos.     Cap 
tured  27th  January,  1863,  in  lat.  17°  19'  N.,  long.  72°  21' 
W.     Valued  at  $10,000. 
Burned. 

Contest — Of  the  United  States,  from  Yokohama,  Japan,  to  New 
York.     Captured  llth  November,  1863,  in  lat.  4°  48'  S., 
long.  106°  49'  E.     Valued  at  $122,815. 
Burned. 

Courser — Of  Province  Town,  from  Province  Town  (whaling). 
Captured   16th   September,   1862,  off  Flores.     Valued   at 
$7,000. 
Burned. 

Crenshaw — Of  New  York,  from  New  York  to  Glasgow.     Cap 
tured  26th  October,  1862,  in  lat.  40°  11'  N.,  long.  64°  32' 
W.    Valued  at  $33,869. 
Burned. 


APPENDIX,   NO.   I.  243 

«. 

Dorcas  Prince — Of  New  York,  from  New  York  to  Shanghai. 
Captured  -26th  April,  1862,  in   lat.  7°  36',  long.  31°  57'. 
Valued  at  $44,108. 
Burned. 

Dunkirk — Of  New  York,  from  New  York  to   Lisbon.     Cap 
tured  7th  October,  1862,  in  lat.  about  41°  00'  N.,  long.  53°. 
Valued  at  $25,000. 
Burned. 

Elisha  Dunbar — Of  New  Bedford,  from  New  Bedfo'rd  (whal 
ing).     Captured   18th  September,  1862,  in  lat.  39°  50'  N., 
long.  55°  25'  W.     Valued  at  $25,000. 
Burned. 

Emily  Farnum — Of  New  York,  from  New  York  to  Liverpool. 
Captured  3d  October,  1862,  in  lat.  39°  58'  N.,  long.  50°  00' 
W. 

Neutral  cargo.     Released  and  made  a  Cartel. 

Emma  Jane — Of  Maine,  from  Bombay  to  Amherst  (in  ballast). 
Captured  14th  January,  1864,  in  lat.  7°  57'  S.,  long.  76°  09' 
W.     Valued  at  $40,000. 
Burned. 

Express — Of  Callao,  from  Callao  to  Antwerp.     Captured  6th 
July,  1863,  in  lat.  28°  28',  long.  30°  20'.  Valued  at  $121,300. 
Burned. 

Oildersliene — Of  London,  from  Sunderland  to  Calcutta.     Cap 
tured  25th  May,  1863,  in  lat.  12°  04',  long.  35°  10'.     Val 
ued  at  $62,783. 
Burned. 

Golden  Eagle — Of  United  States,  from  San  Francisco  (via  How- 
land's  Island)  to  Cork.     Captured  21st  February,  1863,  in 
lat.  29°  28'  N.,  long.  44°  58'  W.     Valued  at  $61,000. 
Burned. 

Golden  Rule — Of  New  York,  from  New  York  to  Aspinwall. 
Captured   26th   January,   1863,  off  Jamaica.      Valued   at 
$112,000. 
Burned. 


244 

Hatteras — Of  United  States  Navy,  gun-boat.     Sunk  llth  Janu 
ary,  1863,  off  Galveston.     Valued  at  $160,000. 
Sunk. 

Highlander — Of  the  United  States,  from  Singapore  to  Aycaab 
;in  ballast).     Captured  26th  December,  1863.     Valued  at 
>75,965. 
Burned. 

Jabez  Snow — Of  Cardiff,  from  Cardiff  to  Monte  Video.     Cap 
tured  29th  May,  1863,  in  lat.  12°  54',  long.  35°  18'.     Val 
ued  at  $72,881. 
Burned. 

John  A.  Parks — Of  Maine,  from  New  York  to  Monte  Video. 
Captured  2d  March,  1863,  in  lat.  29°  25'  N.,  long.  37°  47' 
W.     Valued  at  $66,157. 
Burned. 

Justina — Of  the  United  States.     Captured  25th  May,  1863,  in 
lat.  12°  04',  long.  35°  10'.     Valued  at  $7,000. 
Ransomed. 

Kate    Cory — Of  Westport    (whaler).      Captured    15th   April, 
1863,  in  lat.  4°  08',  long.  32°  01'.     Valued  at  $10,568. 
Burned. 

Kingfisher — Of  Massachusetts,  from  Fair  Haven  (on  whaling 
expedition).     Captured  23d  March,  1863,  in  lat.  2°  08'  N., 
long.  26°  08'  W.     Valued  at  $2,400. 
Burned. 

Lafayette   (1)— Of  New  York,  from   New  York   to   Belfast. 
Captured  23d  October,  1862,  in  lat.  39°  34'  N.,  long.   63° 
26'  W.     Valued  at  $110,337. 
Burned. 

Lafayette    (2) — Of   New  Bedford    (whaler).      Captured   15th 
April,    1863,   in   lat.   4°   08',   long.    32°  01.       Valued   at 
$20,908. 
Burned. 

Lamplighter — Of  Boston,  from  New  York  to  Gibraltar.     Cap- 


APPENDIX,   NO.   I.  245 

tured  15th  October,  1862,  in  lat.  41°  32'  N.,  long.  54°  17' 
W.     Valued  at  $117,600. 
Burned. 

Lauretta — Of  Boston,  from  New  York  to  Madeira  and  Medi 
terranean.     Captured  28th  October.  1862,  in  lat.  39°  18'  N., 
long.  67°  35'  W.     Valued  at  $32,880. 
Burned. 

Levi  Starbuck — Of  New  Bedford,  from  New  Bedford  to  the  Pa 
cific  (whaling).     Captured  2d  November,  1862,  in  lat.  36° 
13'  N.,  long.  66°  01'  W.     Valued  at  $25,000. 
Burned. 

Louisa  Hatch — Of  Rockland,  from  Cardiff  to  Point  de  Galle. 
Captured  4th  April,  1863,  in  lat.  3°  12',  long.  26°  9'.     Val 
ued  at  $38,315. 
Burned. 

Manchester — Of  New  York,  from   New  York  to   Liverpool. 
Captured  llth  October,   1862,  in  lat.  41°  08'  N.,  long.  55° 
26'  W.     Valued  at  $164,000. 
Burned. 

Morning  Star — Of  Boston,  from  Calcutta  to  London.     Captured 
23d   March,    1863,   in   lat.    2°   08'  N.,  long.   26°  08'  W. 
Valued  at  $61,750. 
Released  on  bond. 

Nora — Of  Boston,  from  Boston  to  Calcutta.  Captured  25th 
March,  1863,  in  lat.  1°  22',  long.  26°  08'.  Valued  at  $76,- 
636. 

Burned. 

Nye—Of  New  Bedford,  from  New  Bedford  (whaling  barque). 
Captured  24th  April,  1863,  in  lat.  56  45',  long.  31°  53'. 
Valued  at  $31,127. 
Burned. 

Ocean  Rover — Of  Massachusetts,  from  Massachusetts  (out  whal 
ing).     Captured  8th  September,  1862,  off  Flores.     Valued 
at  $70,000. 
Burned. 


246 

Ocmulgee — Of  Edgartown.      Captured  5th    September,   1862, 
in  about  lat  37°  20'  N.,  long.   28°  08'  W.      Valued  at 
$50,000. 
Burned. 

Olive  Jane — Of  the   United   States,  from  Bordeaux   to   New 
York.      Captured  21st  February,  1863,  in  lat.,  29°  28'  N., 
long.  44°  58'  W.     Valued  at  $43,208. 
Burned. 

Palmetto — Of  New  York,  from  New  York  to  St.  John's,  Porto 
Rico.      Captured  3d  February,  1863,  in  lat.  27°  18'  N., 
long.  6°  16'  W.     Valued  at  $18,430. 
Burned. 

Parker  Cook — Of  Boston,  from  Boston  to  Aux  Cayes.     Captur 
ed  30th  November,  1862,  in  lat.  18°  59'  N.,  long.  68°  45' 
W.     Valued  at  $10,000. 
Burned. 

Punjaub — Of  Boston,  from  Calcutta  to  London.  Captured  15th 
March,  1863,  in  lat.  8°  36'  N.,  long.  31°  43'  W.  Valued  at 
$55,000. 

Released  on  bond. 

Rockingham — Of  the  United  States,  from  Callao  to  Cork.     Cap 
tured  23d  April,  1864,  in  lat.  15°  52'  S.,  long.  31°  44'  W. 
Valued  at  $97,878. 
Burned. 

Sea  Lark — Of  New  York,  from  New  York  to  San  Fraijcisco. 
Captured  3d  May,  1863,  in  lat.  9°  39'  S.,  long.  32°  44'  W. 
Valued  at  $550,000. 
Burned. 

Sonora — Of  the  United  States,  from  Singapore  to  Aycaab  (in 
ballast).    Captured  26th  December,  1863,  off  Malacca.    Val 
ued  at  $46,545. 
Burned. 

Starlight — Of  Boston,  from  Fayal  to  Boston.      Captured  7th 
September,  1862,  off  Flores.     Valued  at  $4,000. 
Burned. 


APPENDIX,    NO.    I.  24:7 

Talisman — Of  New  York,  from  New  York  to  Shanghai.     Cap 
tured  5th  June,  1863,  in  lat.  14°  35',  long.  36°  26'.     Valued 
at  $139,195. 
Burned. 

Texan  Star — Of  the  United  States,  from  Maulmein  to  Singa 
pore.    Captured  24th  December,  1863,  off  Malacca.    Valued 
at  $97,628. 
Burned. 

Tonawanda — Of  Philadelphia,  from  Philadelphia  to  Liverpool. 
Captured  9th  October,  1862,  in  lat.  40°  03'  N.,  long.  54°  38' 
W.     Valued  at  $80,000. 
Released  on  ransom  bond. 

Tycoon — Of  the  United  States,  from  New  York  to  San  Francis 
co.     Captured  27th  April,  1864,  in  lat.  11°  16',  long.  32°  6'. 
Burned. 

Union — Of  Baltimore,  from  Baltimore  to  Jamaica.     Captured 
5th  December,  1862,  off  Cape  Maise.     Valued  at  $15,000, 
Released  on  bond. 

Union  Jack — Of  Boston,  from  Boston  to  Shanghai.     Captured 
3d  May,  1863,  in  lat.  9°  39',  long.  32°  44'.      Valued  at 
$77,000. 
Burned. 

Virginia — Of   New  Bedford,  from   New  Bedford   (whaling). 
Captured  17th  September,  1862,  in  lat.  40°  03'  N.,  long. 
32°  46'  W.     Valued  at  $25,000. 
Burned. 

T.  B.  Wales— Of  Boston,  from  Calcutta  to  Boston.     Captured 
8th  November,  1862,  in  lat.  29°  15'  N.,  long.  57°  57'  W. 
Valued  at  $245,625. 
Burned. 

Washington — Of  New  York,  from  Chincha  Islands  to  Antwerp. 
Captured  27th  February,  1863,  in  lat.  30°  19'  N.,  long.  40° 
01'  W.     Valued  at  $50,000. 
Released  on  bond. 


248 

Wave  Crest— Of  New  York,  from  New  York  to  Cardiff.     Cap 
tured  7th  October,  1862,  in  lat.  about  41°  00'  N.,  long.  53°. 
Valued  at  $44,000. 
Burned. 

Weather    Gauge — Of  Province   Town,    from   Province   Town 
(whaling).      Captured   9th   September,    1862,   off  Flores. 
Valued  at  $10,000. 
Burned. 

Winged  Bacer — Of  the  United  States,  from   Manilla  to  New 
York.     Captured  10th  November,  1863,  in  Strait  of  Sunda. 
Valued  at  $150,000. 
Burned. 


No.  II. 

COUESE  OF  THE  SUMTEE. 

FROM  NEW  ORLEANS,  30TH  JUNE,  1861,  TO  GIBRALTAR,  18TH 
JANUARY,  1862. 

1861. 

July      1  Lat.  26.18  N.  Long.  87.23  W. 

2  23.04  86.13 

3  21.29  84.06 

4  No  observation. 

5  Off  the  Jardinelles. 

6  At  Cienfuegos,  Cuba. 

7  do  do 

8  Off  the  Caynmns. 

9  Off  Jamaica. 

10  ) 

to  >  No  observation. 

15  j 

16  ) 

to  V  At  St.  Anne's,  Curacao. 

24  j 
25) 
to  V  At  and  off  Puerto  Caballo. 

27  j 

28  OffTortuga. 
29) 

to  V  At  Port  of  Spain. 
Aug.    5  ) 

6  9.14  59.10 

7  8.31  56.12 

8  7.19  53.34 

9  6.10  50.48 
10  4.29  48.25 


250  APPENDIX,   NO.    H. 

Aug.     11  Lat.2.38N.  Long.  47.48  W. 

12  4.10  49.37 

13  *  4.56  50.55 

14  4.49  51.19 

Jg  |  At  Cayenne. 

17  5.56 

18  Off  the  mouth  of  the  Surinam. 

19  i 

to  >  At  Paramaribo. 
31  j 
Sept.    1     No  observation. 

2  4.50  50.20 

3  3.05  48.44 

4  00.44  47.12 

5  1.03  44.48 


6) 
to  > 


At  Maranham. 
15 

16  00.17  S.  42.59 

17  2.19  N.  41.29 

18  3.38  40.57 

19  4.33  40.41 

20  4.46  •  41.00 

21  5.12  41.59 

22  5.37  42.12 

23  5.25  42.19 

24  5.35  41.27 

25  6.20  42.27 

27  6.24  43.10 

28  6.10  44.20 

29  6.55  45.08 

30  7.33  45.28 
Oct.      1  7.39  45.55 

2  .  8.19  46.23 

3  8.30  46.21 

4  8.55  46.58 

5  9.13  47.21 

6  8.31  47.08 

7  8.13  47.13 

8  8.52  46.44 

9  7.21  46.30 
10  6.22  45.48 


APPENDIX,   NO.    II.  251 

Oct. 


Nov. 


Dec. 


11                         Lat.  6.38  N.                 Long.  45.13  W 

12 

6.56 

44.41 

13 

7.04 

44.47 

14 

8.31 

45.46 

15 

9.36 

48.11 

16 

10.22 

50.05 

17 

11.37 

51.49 

18 

13.01 

53.12 

19 

13.33 

53.46 

20 

13.46 

54.06 

21 

14.00 

54.07 

22 

14.21 

54.16 

23 

14.36 

54.37 

24 

15.20 

54.51 

25 

16.54 

55.30 

26 

18.13 

56.04 

27 

17.54 

56.30 

28 

17.03 

57.07 

29 

16.54 

57.33 

30 

16.40 

58.16 

31 

16.54 

57.59 

1 

16.52 

57.25 

2 

16.32 

56.55 

3 

16.35 

57.38 

4 

16.43 

57.45 

5 

17.10 

59.06 

6 

16.39 

59.54 

7 

16.00 

60.46 

8 

• 

9 

15.08 

61.54 

10) 

to  >  At  Martinique. 
23  j 

24 

16.12 

25 

18.11 

58.48 

26 

20.07 

57.12 

27 

22.22 

56.27 

28 

24.22 

57.12 

29 

25.51 

57.36 

30 

27.16 

58.29 

1 

27.38 

58.20 

2 

28.12 

58.09 

3 

29.10 

57.22 

252  APPENDIX,   NO.    H. 

Dec.     4  Lat.  30.03  N.                 Long.  55.09  W. 

5  30.19  53.02 

6  29.35  52.02 

7  29.27  51.35 

8  30.57  51.49 

9  31.35  51.14 

10  32.39  49.47 

11  32.48  49.32 

33.28  47.03 

14  33.49  44.47 

15  34.00  42.05 

16  33.24  40.43 

17  33.24  40.00 

18  33.53  38.43 

19  34.30  36.40 

20  34.17  35.31 

21  35.17  33.05 

22  No  observation. 

23  36.29  32.32 

24  27.31  31.30 

25  36.08  28.42 

26  35.09  25.56 

27  35.00  22.49 

28  35.17  20.53 

29  35.43  18.59 

30  35.39  17.33 

31  35.22  16.27 
1862. 

Jan.      1  35.53  13.14 

2  35.52  9.36 

3  35.49  7.00 

On  the  4th  of  January  the  Sumter  reached  Cadiz,  and  on 
the  17th  left  for  Gibraltar.  She  entered  that  port  on  the  follow 
ing  day,  where  she  was  finally  put  out  of  commission. 


COURSE  OF  THE  ALABAMA. 

1862. 
Aug.  25  Lat.  39.15  N.  Long.  26.30  W. 

26  39.39  26.07 

27  39.59  24.34 


Aug. 

28 

Lat,  39.58  N 

29 

38.56 

30 

37.23 

31 

Lat.  by  ace.  36.23 

Sept. 

1 

Lat.  35.33 

2 

35.29 

3 

36.16 

4 

37.22 

'5 

No  observation. 

6 
to 
11 

VOffFlores. 

12 

40.17 

13 

40.34 

14 

40.12 

15 

40.03 

16 

Off  floras. 

17 

40.03 

18 

39.50 

19 

38.32 

20 

37.20 

21 

36.35 

22 

35.21 

23 

34.43 

24 

34.52 

25 

34.59 

26 

35.35 

27 

37.12 

28 

37.40 

29 

37.09 

30 

38.37 

Oct. 

1 

40.27 

2 

40  to  40.30 

3 

39.58 

4 

39.52 

5 

40.19 

6 

41.02 

7 

No  observation. 

8 

Lat.  (D.R.)  41.00 

9 

Lat.  40.03 

10 

41.13 

11 

41.08 

APPENDIX,   NO.    H.  253 

« 

Long.  2l^W/. 
19.23 
19.06 
21.54 
22.17 
24.22 
25.56 
28.08 


34.05 
35.24 
33.02 
32.46 

32.46 
35.25 
35.03 
36.26 
36.58 
37.26 
38.38 
48.28 
41.10 
41.36 
43.13 
42.00 
43.13 
45.03 
46.31 

48  to  48.20 
50.00 
50.41 
51.14 
53.50 

Long.  (D.  R.)  55.43 

Long.  Chro.  54.37 

Long.  54.38 

53.45 

55.26 


254 

APPENDIX,   NC 

Oct. 

12 

Lat.  41.42  N. 

13 

Assumed  40.30 

14 

41.21 

15 

41.32 

16 

(D.R.)  42.16 

17 

(D.  R.)  42.06 

18 

Supposed  41.25 

19 

40.21 

20 

40.28 

21 

40.18 

22 

By  acct.  40.16 

23 

39.34 

24 

40.04 

25 

39.57 

26 

40.11 

27 

39.47 

28 

39.18 

29 

No  observation. 

30 

39.18 

31 

37.51 

Nov. 

1 

36.15 

2 

36.13 

3 

35.17 

4 

34.27 

5 

31.34 

6 

29.05 

7 

29.03 

8 

29.15 

9 

27.51 

10 

25.40 

11 

24.05 

12 

22.58 

13 

22.08 

14 

21.11 

15 

20.40 

16 

18.00 

17 

15.51 

18 

13.15 

21 

12.10 

22 

to 
25 

!, 
At  Island  of  Blanquilla. 

26 

13.12 

Long.  56.48  W. 
59.28 
59.31 
59.17 
59.18 
59.46 
59.10 
62.08 
62.40 
62.40 
64.17 
63.26 
62.05 
63.18 
64.32 
68.06 
67.35 

69.12 
67.34 
65.55 
66.01 
67.11 
63.30 
61.27 
61.22 
59.22 
57.57 
58.24 
57.50 

.-  57.36 
57.37 
57.43 
57.49 
58.24 
59.27 
60.20 
63.01 
64.35 


65.30 


APPENDIX,   NO.    II.  255 


Nov. 

28                         Lat 
29 

.  16.19  N. 
17.45 

Long.  66.06  W. 
67.15 

30 

18.59 

68.45 

Dec. 

1 

19.40 

69.49 

2 

20.04 

71.50 

3 

20.12 

72.58 

4) 
to  V  Off  Cape  Maise 
12) 

,  Jamaica, 

and  Cuba. 

13 

18.47 

78.28 

14 

18.16 

80.43 

15 

18.39 

83.06 

16 

19.16 

84.10 

17 

19.18 

84.25 

18 

19.47 

85.46 

19 

20.00 

85.31 

20 

21.20 

86.32 

21 

22.06 

88.40 

22 

21.26 

91.15 

23 

20.18 

91.50 

24) 

to  }  At  the  Areas. 

31) 

1863 

• 

Jan. 

'  1  ) 

to  V  At  the  Areas. 
5) 

6 

21.11 

93.13 

7 

22.35 

94.26 

8 

24.36 

94.45 

9 

26.19 

94.11 

10 

27.45 

94.42 

11 

28.51 

94.55 

12 

28.03 

93.08 

13 

27.05 

90.37 

14 

25.58 

88.58 

15 

26.16 

88.35 

16 

23.43 

87.35 

17 

21.45 

85.34 

18 

19.50 

82.51 

19 

18.30 

80.34 

20  i 

to  }  At  Port,  Royal. 
25  j 

256 

Jan.    26  Lat.  17.50  N.  Long.  74.52  W. 

27  17.19  72.21 

28  17.56  70.28 

29  At  San  Domingo. 

30  19.31  67.38 

31  21.45     .  68.06 
Feb.     1  24.08  68.18 

2  26.17  68.06 

3  27.18  66.10 

4  28.00  64.11 

5  27.10  61.30 

6  25.44  60.32 

7  26.36  60.15 

8  25.41  58.48 

9  24.51  57.55 

10  24.32  56.53 

11  24.52  56.34 

12  25.15  56.36 

13  26.08  55.32 

14  27.09  53.17 

15  28.29  50.07 

16  28.45  46.57 

17  28.11  45.01 

18  28.15  *  44.37 

19  28.04  44.29 

20  28.32  45.05 

21  29.28  44.58 

22  29.33  44.57 

23  30.21  43.55 

24  30.32  42.50 

25  30.22  41.03 

26  30.23  40.42 

27  30.19  40.01 

28  30.07  39.38 
March  1  29.50  38.31 

2  29.25  37.47 

3  28.42  36.59 

4  27.02  35.44 

5  26.04  35.23 

6  24.09  32.20 

7  24.30  35.12 

8  22.36  34.32 

9  20.22  33.53 


APPENDIX,   NO.   II.  257 

Mar. 


April 


May 


10 

Lat.  18.26  N. 

Long.  33.17  W. 

11 

•  16.18 

32.36 

12 

13.57 

31.47 

13 

11.31 

31.25 

14 

9.24 

31.48 

15 

8.36 

31.43 

16 

7.46 

30.21 

17 

7.53 

30.34 

18 

7.14 

29.26 

19 

5.59 

28.01 

20 

4.32 

27.00 

21 

2.47 

26.23 

22 

2.11 

26.24 

23 

2.08 

26.08 

24 

1.41 

26.13 

25 

1.22 

26.08 

26 

1.12 

26.32 

27  No 

observation. 

28 

00.46 

26.19 

29 

00.18 

26.10 

30 

00.34  S. 

25.35 

31 

00.39 

25.19 

1 

1.00 

25.20 

2 

2.10 

26.02 

3 

2.52 

25.58 

4 

3.12 

26.09 

5 

3.25 

27.04 

6 

3.46 

28.00 

7 

3.57 

30.07 

8 

4.01 

Long.  (D.R.)  31.17 

9 

4.08 

32.01 

10) 

to  VAt 
22  j 

Fernando  de  Noronha. 

23 

4.42 

31.49 

24 

5.45 

31.53 

25 

6.22 

31.44 

26 

7.36 

31.57 

27 

8.16 

32.18 

28 

8.19 

31.40 

29 

8.22 

31.07 

30 

9.02 

31.39 

1 

9.17 

32.17  • 

12 

258  APPENDIX,    NO.    H. 

May     2  Lat.  9.37  S.                 Long.  32.34  TV 

3  9.39  32.44 

4  8.48  32.34 

5  10.06  32.45 

6  10.24  32.30 

7  12.08  33.07 

8  12.30  33.52 

9  12.55  34.49 
10  13.29  36.07 


11  \ 
to} 

21  j 


At  Bahia. 


22  13.04  37.36 

23  12.33  36.39 

24  11.34  34.54 

25  12.04  35.10 

26  11.39  34.47 

27  12.15  35.05 

28  12.54  35.18 

29  13.31  35.38 

30  14.19  35.36 
31 

June     1  14.44  35.15 

2  15.01  34.56 

3  15.09  35.04 

4  14.46  34.57 

5  14.35  36.26 

6  15.17  35.26 

7  16.07  35.37 

8  15.55  35.28 

9  16.55  35.36 

10  16.17  34.35 

11  15.32  33.46 

12  17.25  34.24 

13  19.21  35.37 

14  19.54  35.18 

15  22.38  35.11 

16  23.41  35.36 

17  23.54  35.53 

18  24.16  37.15 

19  24.57  39.01 

20  25.48  40.18 

21  25.46  40.16 


June 

22 

Lat.  25.55  S. 

23 

25.24 

24 

25.19 

25 

25.56 

26 

Lat.  (D.R.)  26.40 

27 

26.01 

28 

25.57 

29 

26.35 

30 

25.56 

July 

1 

25.38 

2 

26.14 

3 

26.31 

4 

27.27 

5 

27.58 

6 

28.28 

% 

7 

29.45 

8 

30.00 

9 

29.57 

10 

29.29 

11 

28.00 

12 

26.44 

13 

28.13 

14 

29.21 

15 

30.07 

16 

Lat.  (D.R.)  30.39 

17 

30.16 

18 

29.54 

19 

Lat.  (D.R.)  29.47 

20 

29.57 

21 

30.43 

22 

31.33 

23 

31.59 

24 

33.24 

25 

33.56 

26 

33.26 

27 

33.46 

28 

33.46 

Aug. 

29 
to 
16 

>  At  Saldanha  Bay,  and  the  Cape. 

17 

34.03 

18 

33.24 

19 

32.52 

259 

Long.  40.21  W. 
38.40 
36.36 
33.44 
30.16 
28.29 
30.31 
32.59 
35.12 
36.38 
37.51 
37.33 
34.37 
31.43 
30.20 
27.36 
24.20 
21.16 
17.47 
15.12 
13.32 
13.27 
11.31 

8.06 

4.05 
00.20 

3.04  E. 

5.32 

7.23 
10.19 
12.37 
14.12 
14.51 
15.34 
16.37 
17.17 
17.31 


17.11 
16.56 
17.09 


260  APPENDIX,  NO.  n. 


Aug. 

20 

Lat.  32.45  S. 

21 

33.14 

22 

32.13 

23 

31.43 

24 

31.24 

25 

31.18 

26 

27.57 

27 

No  observation. 

28 
to 

>  At  Angra  Pequena. 

30 

j 

31 

26.51 

Sept. 

1 

No  observation. 

2 

28.37 

3 

29.43 

4 

30.04 

5 

30.24 

6 

30.35 

7 

31.17 

8 

31.41 

9 

32.30 

10 

33.16 

11 

33.10 

12 

33.43 

13 

33.51 

14 

34.28 

15 

34.26 

16 
to 
24 

V  At  Simon's  Town. 

25 

35.26 

26 

37.28 

27 

37.52 

28 

39,02 

29 

39.02 

30 

39.12 

Oct. 

1 

39.15 

2 

38.27 

3 

38.46 

4 

38.43 

5 

38.47 

6 

38.44 

7 

37.51 

Long.  16.55  E. 
15.41 
16.08 
15.30 
14.34 
13.37 
14.12 


14.40 

10.13 

8.59 

8.46 

9.28 

11.16 

11.07 

11.16 

12.49 

15.20 

16.37 

16.03 

17.34 

17.43 

17.30 


18.15 
17.58 
19.03 
23.07 
27.20 
31.59 
35.46 
39.02 
42.49 
46.56 
49.20 
53.33 
57.30 


APPENDIX,   NO.    H.  261 

Oct. 


Nov. 


8                        Lat. 

38.04  S. 

Long.  60.23  E. 

9 

38.16 

64.15 

10 

38.26 

68.57 

11 

38.28 

72.40 

12 

38.46 

77.12 

13 

38.15 

80.29 

14 

37.47 

83.42. 

15 

35.23 

89.55 

16 

35.23 

89.55 

17 

32.59 

93.28 

18 

30.59 

96.17 

19 

28.26 

98.43 

20 

25.33 

99.42 

21 

22.41 

100.12 

22 

21.13 

100.10 

23 

18.52 

100.10 

24 

15.45 

101.25 

25           Lat.  (D.R.) 

12.26 

Long.  (D.E.)  102.00 

26 

10.27 

102.13 

27 

9.55 

Long.  101.50 

28 

9.38 

101.51 

29 

9.20 

101.53 

30 

9.09 

102.14 

31 

8.53 

102.50 

1 

8.55 

103.51 

2 

9.30 

103.28 

3 

9.17 

103.31 

4 

8.31 

103.06 

5 

7.22 

103.15 

6 

7.00 

103.19 

7 

6.59 

103.27 

8) 
to  }  Off  Flat  Point. 

& 

10  j 

11 

4.48 

106.49 

12 

4.19 

108.00 

13 

3.59 

107.25 

14 

3.44 

109.05 

15 

3.03 

109.27 

16 

2.44 

109.16 

17) 

to  }  Off  the  Malays. 
23  j 

APPENDIX,  NO.    II. 

Nov.  24                           Lat.  3.40  N.  Long.  109.45  E. 

25  Supposed  Lat.  3.50  Supposed  Long.  110.30 

26  4.36  111.42 

27  4.51  111.54 

28  4.51  111.54 

29  5.01  111.47 

30  6.14  110.31 
Dec.     1                                   7.30  108.42 

2                                   8.30  107.15 

to  >  At  Cindore. 


14  j 

15 

8.24 

106.48 

16 

7.18 

107.27 

17 

(D.R.)  6.11 

106.12 

18 

4.48 

105.10 

19) 

and  > 

At  Island  of  Aor. 

X 

20) 

21) 

to 

At  and  off  Singapore. 

26  j 

27 

4.08 

100.11 

28 

Supposed  4.46 

99.40 

29 

Supposed  5.29 

98.16 

30 

5.39 

96.40 

31 

Off  N.  end  of  Sumatra. 

1864. 

Jan.      1 

6.23 

93.35 

2 

5.39 

93.08 

3 

5.29 

92.33 

4 

6.05 

Long.  (D.R.)  91.40 

5 

6.29 

90.37 

6 

6.07 

88.40 

7 

5.39 

87.22 

8 

5.22 

84.53 

9 

5.05 

82.09 

10 

5.14 

79.50 

11 

5.49 

78.25 

12 

7.26 

76.02 

13 

7.33 

76.01 

14 

7.57 

76.09 

15 

8.25 

76.08 

APPENDIX,   NO.   H. 


263 


Jan.    16 

At  Quilon. 

17 

Lat.  8.40  N.                ] 

18 

8.31 

19 

8.05 

20 

7.29 

21 

No  observation. 

22 

7.52 

23 

7.04 

24 

7.03 

25 

6.27 

26 

5.33 

27 

5.01 

28 

4.02 

29 

2.43 

30 

00.50 

31 

1.31  S. 

Feb.     1 

3.15 

2 

4.48 

3 

6.47 

4 

8.24 

5 

10.18 

6 

10.42 

7 

10.44 

8 

10.45 

9 
to 
16 

>  At  Islands  of  Johanna  and  Mohilla. 

17 

13.41 

18 

14.15 

19 

15.03 

20 

16.00 

21 

/*           17.02 

22 

18.43 

23 

19.49 

24 

20.29 

25 

21.18 

26 

23.36 

27 

25.31 

28 

27.11 

29 

29.16 

March  1 

31.32 

2 

33.20 

3 

35.05 

Long. 


76.32  E. 
76.30 
75.05 
74.28 

70.22 
67.17 
64.28 
61.49 
59.19 
56.36 
53.46 
51.00 
48.42 
47.20 
46.13 
45,40 
44.44 
44.26 
43.47 
44.00 
43.50 
43.42 


43.04 
42.45 
42.24 
41.45 
41.31 
41.20 
41.23 
41.19 
41.44 
41.15 
40.00 
37.51 
36.17 
34.37 
32.22 
29.49 


264 


March  4 

Lat.  35.11  S. 

5 

35.51 

6 

39.09 

7 

35.10 

8 

35.49 

9 

35.46 

10 

35.42 

11 

35.08 

12 

33.57 

13 

33.35 

14 

34.  3 

15 

33.48 

16 

32!50 

17 

33.10 

18 

No  observation. 

19 

32.57 

20 

33.51 

•    21  j 
to] 

24  j 

At  the  Cape. 

25 

34.02 

26 

33.41 

27 

31.50 

28 

31.36 

29 

30.25 

30 

28.53 

31 

28.00 

April    1 

26.13 

2 

24.17 

3 

22.35 

4 

21.01 

5 

19.37 

6 

18.41 

7 

17.15 

8 

17.42 

9 

18.00 

10 

18.12 

11 

.18.25 

12 

18.47 

13 

18.55 

14 

18.58 

15 

19.  9 

16 

19.17 

Long.  23.28  E. 
26.43 
24.58 
24.03 
21.39 
20.29 
20.13 
18.21 
17.06 
16.10 
15.20 
15.23 
16.31 
16.22 

15.55 
17.31 


18.10 
15.52 
12.39 
10.09 

8.25 

6.55 

4.50 

2.40 

0.24 

1.29  W. 

3.13 

4.44 

4.22 

3.44 

5.50 

8.53 
11.47 
14.42 
17.13 
19.43 
22.33 
25.— 
26.42 


265 


April  17 
18 
19 
20 
21 
22 
23 
24 
.  25 
26 
27 
28 
29 
30 

May  1 
2 


4 

5 

6 

7 

8 

9 

10 
11 
12 
•  13 
14 
15 
16 
17 
18 
19 
20 
21 
22 
23 
24 
25 
26 
27 
28 
29 

12* 


Lat.  19.12  S. 

Long.  2  7.33  W. 

19.22 

28.57 

19.13 

29.36 

18.49 

30.01 

18.18 

30.26 

17.23 

30.56 

15.52 

31.44 

15.19 

32.  6 

13.59 

32.  4 

13.  5 

32.22 

11.16 

32.  6 

10.  5 

31.46 

8.  9 

31.29 

5.26 

30.12 

2.25 

30.38 

00.13 

30.41 

1.43  N. 

31.28 

3.30 

32.38 

5.  6 

34.19 

7.15  . 

36.  7 

9.40 

37.36 

11.54 

38.43 

14.13 

39.43 

16.43 

40.33 

18.37 

41.09 

20.10 

41.25 

20.33 

41.19 

20.53 

41.09 

21.12 

40.55 

22.05 

41.16 

22.57 

41.50 

24.33 

41.57 

26.32  , 

41.50 

28.04 

41.33 

29.24 

40.42 

30.25 

39.54 

31.39 

38.39 

33.13 

36.49 

35.51 

35.41 

37.43 

33.53 

38.42 

32.50 

39.23 

32.31 

89.51 

(P.B.)  32.25 

266 

May  30 
31 

June  1 
2 
3 
4 
5 
6 
7 
8 
9 

10 
11  On  this  day  the  Alabama  entered  Cherbourg  harbour. 


Lat.  40.25  N. 

Long.  30.22  W. 

40.54 

27.15 

41.35 

24.15 

42.07 

22.15 

42.18 

20.30 

42.10 

18.04 

41.58 

16.31 

42.31 

15,42 

43.47 

14.12 

45.45 

(D.R.)  12.06 

47.34 

9.07 

49.18 

6.03 

No.  III. 
MR.  LAIRD'S  SPEECH  (OT  THE  ALABAMA. 

THE  following  is  a  full  report  of  Mr.  Laird's  speech  in  the 
House  of  Commons  on  Friday  night : — After  the  discussion  that 
has  taken  place  about  the  Alabama,  I  shall  not  trouble  the 
house  with  many  remarks.  I  can  only  say,  from  all  I  know 
and  all  I  have  heard,  that  from  the  day  the  vessel  was  laid  down 
to  her  completion  everything  was  Open  and  above-board  in  this 
country.  (Cheers.)  I  also  further  say  that  the 'officers  of  the 
Government  had  every  facility  afforded  them  for  inspecting  the 
ship  during  the  progress  of  building.  When  the  officers  came 
to  the  builders  they  were  shown  the  ship,  and  day  after  day  the 
customs  officers  were  on  board,  as  they  were  when  she  finally 
left,  and  they  declared  there  was  nothing  wrong.  ("  Hear," 
from  Mr.  Bright.)  They  only  left  her  when  the  tug  left,  and 
they  were  obliged  to  declare  that  she  left  Liverpool  a  perfectly 
legitimate  transaction.  (Hear,  hear.)  One  point  has  been 
overlooked  in  this  discussion.  If  a  ship  without  guns  and  with 
out  arms  is  a  dangerous  article,  surely  rifled  guns  and  am 
munition  of  all  sorts  are  equally — (cheers) — and  even  more 
dangerous.  (Cheers.)  I  have  referred  to  the  bills  of  entry  in 
the  custom  houses  of  London  and  Liverpool,  and  I  find  there 
have  been  vast  shipments  of  implements  of  war  to  the  Northern 
States  through  the  celebrated  houses  of  Baring  and  Co. — (loud 
cheers  and  laughter) — Brown,  Shipley  and  Co.,  of  Liverpool, 
and  a  variety  of  other  names,  which  I  need  not  more  particular 
ly  mention,  but  whose  Northern  tendencies  are  well  known  to 
this  house.  (Hear,  hear.)  If  the  member  for  Rochdale,  or  the 
honourable  member  for  Bradford,  wishes  to  ascertain  the  extent 
to  which  the  Northern  States  of  America  have  had  supplies  of 
arms  from  this  country,  they  have  only  to  go  to  a  gentleman 


268 

who,  I  am  sure,  will  be  ready  to  afford  them  every,  information, 
and  much  more  readily  than  he  would  to  me  or  to  any  one  else 
calling  upon  him — the  American  consul  in  Liverpool.  Before 
that  gentleman  the  manifest  of  every  ship  is  laid,  he  has  to  give 
an  American  pass  to  each  vessel ;  he  is  consequently  able  to 
tell  the  exact  number  of  rifles  which  have  been  shipped  from  this 
country  for  the  United  States — information,  I  doubt  not,  which 
would  be  very  generally  desired  by  this  house.  (Loud  cries  of 
"  Hear.")  I  have  obtained  from  the  official  custom  house  re 
turns  some  details  of  the  sundries  exported  from  the  United 
Kingdom  to  the  Northern  States  of  America  from  the  1st  of 
May,  1861,  to  the  31st  of  December,  1862.  There  were — mus 
kets,  41,500  (hear,  hear)  ;  ^rifles,  341.000  (cheers)  ;  gun  flints, 
26,500  ;  percussion  caps,  49,982,000  (cheers  and  laughter)  ;  and 
swords,  2,250.  The  best  information  I  could  obtain  leads  me 
to  believe  that  from  one-third  to  a  half  may  be  added  to  these 
numbers  for  items  which  have  been  shipped  to  the  Northern 
States  as  hardware.  (Hear,  hear.)  I  have  very  good  reason 
for  saying  that  a  vessel  of  2,000  tons  was  chartered  six  weeks 
ago  for  the  express  purpose  of  taking  out  a  cargo  of  "  hardware" 
to  the  United  States.  (Cheers.)  The  exportation  has  not 
ceased  yet.  From  the  1st  of  January  to  the  17tlj  March,  1863, 
the  custom  bills  of  entry  show  that  23,870  gun-barrels,  30,802 
rifles,  and  3,105,800  percussion  caps  were  shipped  to  the  United 
States.  (Hear,  hear).  So  that  if  the  Southern  States  have 
got  two  ships,  unarmed,  unfit  for  any  purpose  of  warfare — for 
they  procured  their  armaments  somewhere  else — the  Northern 
States  have  been  well  supplied  from  this  country  through  the 
agency  of  some  most  influential  persons.  (Hear,  hear.)  Now, 
it  has  been  stated — and  by  way  of  comparison  treated  as  matter 
of  complaint — that  during  the  Crimean  war  the  Americans  be 
haved  so  well  that  the  honourable  member  for  Bradford  and  the 
member  for  Birmingham  both  lauded  their  action  as  compared 
with  that  of  our  own  Government.  Now,  I  have  heard  that  a 
vessel  sailed  from  the  United  States  to  Petropaulovski.  (Cries 
of  "Name.")  If  honourable  members  will  allow  me  I  will  go 
on,  and  first  I  propose  to  read  an  extract  from  the  Times,  writ 
ten  by  their  correspondent  at  San  Francisco,  dated  the  29th  of 
January,  1863  : — 

"Now,  this  case  of  the  Alabama  illustrates  the  saying  that 
a  certain  class  should  have  a  good  memory.  During  the 
Crimean  war,  a  man-of-war  (called  the  America,  if  I  remem 
ber)  was  built  in  America  for  the  Russian  Government,  and 


APPENDIX,   NO.    III. 

brought  out  to  the  Pacific,  filled  with  arms  and  munitions,  by 
an  officer  in  the  United  States  navy.  This  gentleman  took  her 
to  Petropaulovski,  where  she  did  service  against  the  allied  squad 
ron,  and  she  is  still  in  the  Russian  navy.  (Cries  of  '  No,'  and 
4  Hear,  hear/)  We  made  no  such  childish  fuss  about  this  act 
of  4  hostility '  by  a  friendly  Power,  which  we  could  not  prevent, 
as  our  friends  are  now  making  about  the  Alabama,  whose  de 
parture  from  England  our  Government  could  not  stop." 

The  America  was  commanded  by  a  Lieutenant  Hudson,  who 
—if  my  information  be  correct,  and  I  have  no  doubt  that  it  is — 
was  then,  or  had  been  just  previously,  a  lieutenant  in  the  Amer 
ican  navy  ;  he  was  the  son  of  a  most  distinguished  officer  in  the 
same  service,  Captain  Hudson.  I  am  further  informed  that 
some  doubts  having  arisen  about  the  character  of  this  ship,  the 
American  men-of-war  in  the  different  ports  she  called  at  pro 
tected  her ;  and,  on  her  arrival  in  Russia,  the  captain  who  took 
her  out  was,  I  know,  very  handsomely  rewarded  for  his  services. 
(Hear,  hear.)  Now,  I  will  go  a  step  further  about  the  North 
ern  States.  In  1861,  just  after  the  war  broke  out,  a  friend  of 
mine,  whom  I  have  known  for  many  years,  was  over  here,  and 
came  to  me  with  a  view  of  getting  vessels  built  in  this  country 
for  the  American  Government — the  Northern  Government. 
(Hear,  hear.)  Its  agents  in  this  country  made  inquiries  ;  plans 
and  estimates  were  given  to  my  friend,  and  transmitted  to  the 
Secretary  of  the  American  Navy.  I  will  read  an  abstract  from 
this  gentleman's  letter,  dated  the  30th  of  July,  1861.  It  is  writ 
ten  from  Washington,  and  states — 

"  Since  my  arrival  here  I  have  had  frequent  interviews  with 
our  '  Department  of  Naval  Affairs,'  and  am  happy  to  say  that 
the  Minister  of  the  Navy  is  inclined  to  have  an  iron-plated  ship 
built  out  of  the  country.  (Hear,  hear.)  This  ship  is  designed 
for  a  specific  purpose,  to  accomplish  a  definite  object.  I  send 
you  herewith  a  memorandum  handed  me  last  evening  from  the 
department,  with  the  request  that  I  would  send  it  to  you  by 
steamer's  mail  of  to-morrow,  and  to  ask  your  immediate  reply, 
stating  if  you  will  agree  to  build  such  a  ship  as  desired,  how 
soon,  and  for  how  much,  with  such  plans  and  specifications  as 
you  may  deem  it  best  to  send  me." 

(Loud  cheers.)  The  extract  from  the  memorandum  states 
that  "  the  ship  is  to  be  finished  complete,  with  guns  and  every 
thing  appertaining."  (Renewed  cheering  and  laughter.)  On 
the  14th  of  August  I  received  another  letter  from  the  same  gen 
tleman,  from  which  the  following  is  an  extract : 


270  APPENDIX,   NO.    III. 

"  I  have  this  morning  a  note  from  the  Assistant-Secretary 
of  the  Navy,  in  which  he  says,  '  I  hope  your  friends  will  tender 
for  the  two-iron  plated  steamers.' "  (Hear,  hear.)  After  this, 
the  firm  with  which  I"  was  lately  connected,  having  made  con 
tracts  to  a  large  extent  with  other  persons,  stated  that  they  were 
not  in  a  position  to  undertake  any  orders  to  be  done  in  so  short 
a  time.  This  was  the  reply  : 

"  I  sent  your  last  letter,  received  yesterday,  to  the  Secretary 
of  the  Navy,  who  was  very  desirous  to  have  you  build  the  iron- 
plated  or  bomb-proof  batteries,  and  I  trust  that  he  may  yet  de 
cide  to  have  you  build  one  or  more  of  the  gunboats." 
(Loud  cheers.)  I  think,  perhaps,  in  the  present  state  of  the 
law  in  America,  I  shall  not  be  asked  to  give  the  name  of  my 
correspondent  (hear),  but  he  is  a  gentleman  of  the  highest  re 
spectability.  If  any  honourable  member  wishes,  I  should  have 
no  hesitation  in  handing  the  whole  correspondence,  with  the 
original  letters,  into  the  hands  of  you,  sir,  or  the  First  Minister 
of  the  Crown,  in  strict  confidence,  because  there  are  communi 
cations  in  these  letters  respecting  the  views  of  the  American 
Government  which  I  certainly  should  not  divulge,  which  I  have 
not  mentioned  or  alluded  to  before.  But  seeing  that  the  Amer 
ican  Government  are  making  so  much  work  about  other  parties, 
whom  they  charge  with  violating  or  evading  the  law,  though  in 
reality  they  have  not  done  so,  I  think  it  only  fair  to  state  those 
facts.  (Cheers.)  As  I  said  before,  they  are  facts.  (Hear, 
hear.)  I  do  not  feel  at  liberty  to  state  those  points  to  which  I 
have  referred,  as  being  of  a  confidential  character,  but,  if  any 
honourable  gentleman  feels  a  doubt  regarding  the  accuracy  of 
what  I  have  stated,  I  shall  feel  happy  to  place  the  documents  in 
the  hands  of  the  Speaker,  or  of  the  First  Minister  of  the  Crown, 
when  he  will  see  that  they  substantiate  much  more  than  I  have 
stated.  (Cheers.)  I  do  not  wish  to  occupy  the  House  longer  ; 
but  I  must  say  this,  that  to  talk  of  freedom  in  a  land  like  the 
Northern  States  of  America  is  an  absurdity.  Almost  every 
detective  that  can  be  got  hold  of  in  this  country  is  employed. 
(Hear,  hear.)  I  believe  there  are  spies  in  my  son's  works  in 
Birkenhead,  and  in  all  the  great  establishments  in  the  country. 
A  friend  of  mine  had  detectives  regularly  on  his  track  in  conse 
quence  of  some  circumstances  connected  with  his  vessels.  If 
that  be  'freedom,  I  think  we  had  better  remain  in  the  position  in 
which  we  now  are.  (Cheers  and  laughter.)  In  conclusion,  I 
will  allude  to  a  remark  which  was  made  elsewhere  last  night — a 
remark,  I  presume,  applying  to  me  or  to  somebody  else,  which 


271 

was  utterly  uncalled  for.  (Hear.)  I  have  only  to  say  that  I 
would  rather  be  handed  down  to  posterity  as  the  builder  of  a 
dozen  Alabamas  than  as  the  man  who  applies  himself  deliberate 
ly  to  set  class  against  class  (loud  cheers),  and  to  cry  up  the  in 
stitutions  of  another  country,  which,  when  they  come  to  be 
tested,  are  of  no  value  whatever,  and  which  reduce  liberty  to  an 
utter  absurdity.  (Cheers.) 


No.  IV. 
THE  ENGAGEMENT  WITH  THE  HATTEEAS. 

From  the  Journal  of  an  Officer  of  the  ALABAMA. 

Sunday,  llth. — Fine  moderate  breeze  from  the  eastward. 
Read  Articles  of  War.  Noon  :  Eighteen  miles  from  Galveston. 
As  I  write  this  some  are  discussing  the  probability  of  a  fight 
before  morning.  2.25  p.  M.  :  Light  breeze  ;  sail  discovered  by 
the  look-out  on  the  bow.  Shortly  after,  three,  and  at  last  five, 
vessels  were  seen ;  two  of  which  were  reported  to  be  steamers. 
Every  one  delighted  at  the  prospect  of  a  fight,  no  doubt  what 
ever  existing  as  to  their  being  war-vessels — blockaders  we  sup 
posed.  The  watch  below  came  on  deck,  and  of  their  own  ac 
cord  began  preparing  the  guns,  &c.,  for  action.  Those  whose 
watch  it  was  on  deck  were  engaged  in  getting  the  propeller 
ready  for  lowering  ;  others  were  bending  a  cable  to  a  kedge  and 
putting  it  over  the  bow — the  engineers  firing  up  for  steam, 
officers  looking  to  their  side-arms,  &c.,  and  discussing  the  size  of 
their  expected  adversary  or  adversaries.  At  2.30  shortened  sail 
and  tacked  to  the  southward.  4  p.  M.  :  A  steamer  reported 
standing  out  from  the  fleet  toward  us.  Backed  main-topsail  and 
lowered  propeller.  4.50  :  Every  thing  reported  ready  for  action. 
Chase  bearing  N.N.E.,  distant  ten  miles.  Twilight  set  in  about 
5.45.  Took  in  all  sail.  At  6.20  beat  up  to  quarters,  manned 
the  starboard  battery,  and  loaded  with  five  second  shell ;  turned 
round,  stood  for  the  steamer,  having  previously  made  her  out  to 
be  a  two-masted  side-wheel,  of  apparent  1,200  tons,  though  at 
the  distance  she  was  before  dark  we  could  not  form  any  correct 
estimate  of  her  size,  &c. 

At  6.80  the   strange   steamer   hailed   and   asked,    "What 


APPENDIX,   NO.    IV.  273 

steamer  is  that  ?  "  We  replied  (in  order  to  be  certain  who  he 
was),  "Her  Majesty's  ship  Petrel!  What  steamer  is  that?" 
Two  or  three  times  we  asked  the  question,  until  we  heard, 

u  This  is  the  United  States  steamer ,"  not  hearing  the 

name.  However,  United  States  stfeamer  was  sufficient.  As  no 
doubt  existed  as  to  her  character,  we  said,  at  G..35,  that  this  was 
the  "  Confederate  States  steamer,  Alabama,"  accompanying  the 
last  syllable  of  our  name  with  a  shell  fired  over  him.  The  sig 
nal  being  given,  the  other  guns  took  up  the  refrain,  and  a  tre 
mendous  volley  from  our  whole  broadside  given  to  him,  every 
shell  striking  his  side,  the  shot  striking  being  distinctly  heard  on 
board  our  vessel,  and  thus  found  that  she  was  iron. 

The  enemy  replied,  and  the  action  became  general.  A  most 
sharp  spirited  firing  was  kept  up  on  both  sides,  our  fellows  pep 
pering  away  as  though  the  action  depended  on  each  individual. 
And  so  it  did.  Pistols  and  rules  were  continually  pouring  from 
our  quarter-deck  messengers  most  deadly,  the  distance  during 
the  hottest  of  the  fight  not  being  more  than  forty  yards  !  It  was 
a  grand,  though  fearful  sight,  to  see  the  guns  belching  forth,  in 
the  darkness  of  the  night,  sheets  of  living  flame,  the  deadly  mis 
siles  striking  the  enemy  with  a  force  that  we  could  feel.  Then, 
when  the  shells  struck  her  sides,  especially  the  percussion  ones, 
her  whole  side  was  lit  up,  and  showing  rents  of  five  or  six  feet 
in  length.  One  shot  had  just  struck  our  smoke-stack,  and  wound 
ing  one  man  in  the  cheek,  when  the  enemy  ceased  his  firing,  and 
fired  a  lee  gun ;  then  a  second,  and  a  third.  The  order  was 
given  to  "  Cease  firing."  This  was  at  6.52.  A  tremendous 
cheering  commenced,  and  it  was  not  till  everybody  had  cleared 
his  throat  to  his  own  satisfaction,  that  silence  could  be  obtained. 
We  then  hailed  him,  and  in  reply  he  stated  that  he  had  surrender 
ed,  was  on  fire,  and  also  that  he  was  in  a  sinking  condition.  He 
then  sent  a  boat  on  board,  and  surrendered  the  U.  S.  gunboat, 
Hatteras,  nine  guns,  Lieutenant-Commander  Blake,  140  men. 
Boats  were  immediately  lowered  and  sent  to  his  assistance,  when 
an  alarm  was  given  that  another  steamer  was  bearing  down  for 
us.  The  boats  were  recalled  and  hoisted  up,  when  it  was  found 
to  be  a  false  alarm.  The  order  was  given,  and  the  boatswain 
and  his  mates  piped  "  All  hands  out  boats  to  save  life ; "  and  soon 
the  prisoners  were  transferred  to  our  ship — the  officers  under 
guard  on  the  quarter  deck,  and  the  men  in  single  irons.  The 
boats  were  then  hoisted  up,  the  battery  run  in  and  secured,  and 
the  main  brace  spliced.  All  hands  piped  down,  the  enemy's 
vessel  sunk,  and  we  steaming  quietly  away  by  8.30,  all  having 


274:  APPENDIX,    NO.    IV. 

been  done  in  less  than  two  hours.  In  fact,  had  it  not  been  for 
our  having  the  prisoners  on  board,  we  would  have  sworn  nothing 
unusual  had  taken  place — the  watch  below  quietly  sleeping  in 
their  hammocks.  The  conduct  of  our  men  was  truly  commend 
able.  No  flurry,  no  noise — all  calm  and  determined.  The  cool 
ness  displayed  by  them  could  not  be  surpassed  by  any  old  veterans 
—our  chief  boatswain's  mate  apparently  in  his  glory.  4 '  Sponge  ! " 
— "  Load  with  cartridge  ! "— "  Shell-fire  seconds  ! "— -"  Runout ! " 
— "  Well,  down  compressors  !  "— "  Left,  traverse ! "— "  Well ! " 
— "  Ready ! "— "  Fire  ! "— "  That's  into  you !  "— "  Damn  you ! 
that  kills  your  pig !  " — "  That  stops  your  wind ! "  &c.,  &c.,  was 
uttered  as  each  shot  was  heard  to  strike  with  a  crash  that  nearly 
deafened  you.  The  other  boatswain's  mate  seemed  equally  to 
enjoy  the  affair.  As  he  got  his  gun  to  bear  upon  the  enemy,  he 
would  take  aim,  and  Jbanging  away,  would  plug  her,  exclaiming, 
as  each  shot  told — "  That's  from  the  scum  of  England !  " — 
"  That's  a  British  pill  for  you  to  swallow ! "  the  New  York  pa 
pers  having  once  stated  that  our  men  were  the  "  scum  of  England." 
All  other  guns  were  served  with  equal  precision.  We  were 
struck  seven  times  ;  only  one  man  being  hurt  during,  the  engage 
ment,  and  he  only  received  a  flesh  wound  in  the  cheek.  One  shot 
struck  under  the  counter,  penetrating  as  far  as  a  timber,  then 
glancing  off;  a  second  struck  the  funnel ;  a  third  going  through 
the  side  across  the  berth-deck,  and  into  the  opposite  side  ;  another 
raising  the  deuce  in  the  lamp  room ;  the  others  lodging  in  the 
coal-bunkers.  Taking  a  shell  up  and  examining  it,  we  found  it 
filled  with  sand  instead  of  powder.  The  enemy's  fire  was  direct 
ed  chiefly  towards  our  stern,  the  shots  flying  pretty  quick  over 
the  quarter-deck,  near  to  where  our  Captain  was  standing.  As 
they  came  whizzing  over  him,  he,  with  his  usual  coolness,  would 
exclaim — "  Give  it  to  the  rascals  ! " — "  Aim  low,  men  ! '" 
— "Don't  be  all  night  sinking  that  fellow!"  when  for  all 
or  anything  we  knew,  she  might  have  been  an  iron-clad  or  a 
ram. 

On  Commander  Blake  surrendering  his  sword,  he  said  that 
"  it  was  with  deep  regret  he  did  it."  Captain  Semmes  smacked 
his  lips  and  invited  him  down  to  his  cabin.  On  Blake  giving  his 
rank  to  Captain  Semmes,  he  gave  up  his  state-room  for  Blake's 
special  use,  the  rest  of  the  officers  being  accommodated  according 
to  their  rank  in  the  ward-room  and  steerages,  all  having  previ 
ously  been  paroled,  the  crew  being  placed  on -the  berth-deck,  our 
men  sleeping  anywhere,  so  that  the  prisoners  might  take  their 
places.  Of  the  enemy's  loss^we  could  obtain  no  correct  accounts, 


APPENDIX,    NO.    IV.  2Y5 

a  difference  of  seventeen  being  in  their  number  of  killed,  the 
Hatteras  having  on  board  men  she  was  going  to  transfer  to  other 
ships.  Their  acknowledged  loss  was  only  two  killed  and  seven 
wounded.  A  boat  had  been  lowered  just  before  the  action  to 
board  us  ;  as  we  anticipated,  and  learnt  afterwards,  it  pulled  in 
for  the  fleet  and  reached  Galveston.  From  conversation  with 
her  First-Lieutenant,  I  learnt  that  as  soon  as  we  gave  our  name 
and  our  first  broadside,  the  whole  after  division  on  board  her  left 
the  guns,  apparently  paralyzed ;  it  was  some  time  before  they 
recovered  themselves.  The  conduct  of  one  of  her  officers  was 
cowardly  and  disgraceful  in  the  extreme.  Some  of  our  shells 
went  completely  through  her  before  exploding,  others  burst  in 
side  her,  and  set  her  on  fire  in  three  places.  One  went  through 
her  engines,  completely  disabling  her ;  another  exploding  in  her 
steam  chest,  scalding  all  within  reach.  Thus  was  fought,  twenty- 
eight  miles  from  Galveston,  a  battle,  though  small,  yet  the  first 
yard-arm  action  between  two  steamers  at  sea.  She  was  only 
inferior  in  weight  of  metal — her  guns  being  nine  in  number,  viz., 
four  thirty-two  pounders,  two  rifled  thirty  pounders,  carrying 
601b.  shot  (conical) ,  one  rifled  twenty-pounder,  and  a  couple  of 
small  twelve  pounders.  On  account  of  the  conflicting  statements 
made  by  her  officers,  we  could  never  arrive  at  a  correct  estimate 
of  her  crew.  Our  prisoners  numbered  seventeen  officers,  one 
hundred  and  one  seamen.  We  further  learnt  that  the  Hatteras 
was  one  of  seven  vessels  sent  to  recapture  Galveston,  it  being 
(although  unknown  to  us)  in  the  possession  of  our  troops.  We 
also  found  that  the  flag-ship  Brooklyn,  twenty-two  guns,  and  the 
Oneida,  nine  guns,  sailed  in  search  of  us.  By  their  account  of 
the  course  they  steered  they  could  not  fail  to  have  seen  us. 


No.  V. 
THE  ALABAMA  IJST  TABLE  BAT. 

[From  the  Cape  Argus.] 

Augmi  6th,  1863. 

Yesterday,  at  almost  noon,  a  steamer  from  the  northward 
was  made  down  from  the  signal-post,  Lion's-hill.  The  Gov 
ernor  had,  on  the  previous  day,  received  a  letter  from  Captain 
Semmes,  dated  Saldanha  Bay,  informing  his  Excellency  that  the 
gallant  captain  had  put  his  ship  into  Saldanha  Bay  for  repairs. 
This  letter  had  been  made  public  in  the  morning,  and  had  caus 
ed  no  little  excitement.  Cape  Town,  that  has  been  more  than 
dull — that  has  been  dismal  for  months,  thinking  and  talking  of 
nothing  but  bankruptcies — bankruptcies  fraudulent  and  bank 
ruptcies  unavoidable — was  now  all  astir,  full  of  life  and  motion. 
The  stoop  of  the  Commercial  Exchange  was  crowded  with  mer 
chants,  knots  of  citizens  were  collected  at  the  corner  of  every 
street ;  business  was  almost,  if  not  altogether  suspended.  All 
that  could  be  gleaned,  in  addition  to  the  information  in  Captain 
Semmes'  letter  to  the  Governor,  a  copy  of  which  was  sent  to  the 
United  States  Consul  immediately  it  was  received,  was  that  the 
schooner  Atlas  had  just  returned  from  Malagas  Island,  where 
she  had  been  with  water  and  vegetables  for  men  collecting  guanos 
there.  Captain  Boyce,  the  master  of  the  Atlas,  reported  that  he 
had  himself  actually  seen  the  steamer  Alabama ;  a  boat  from 
the  steamer  had  boarded  his  vessel,  and  he  had  been  on  board 
her.  His  report  of  Captain  Semmes  corroborated  that  given  by 
every  one  else.  He  said  the  captain  was  most  courteous  and 
gentlemanly.  He  asked  Captain  Boyce  to  land  thirty  prisoners 
for  him  in  Table  Bay,  with  which  request  Captain  Boyce  was 
unable  to  comply.  Captain  Semmes  said  that  the  Florida  was 
also  a  short  distance  off  the  Cape,  and  that  the  Alabama,  when 


APPENDIX,   NO.   V. 

she  had  completed  her  repairs,  and  was  cleaned  and  painted, 
would  pay  Table  Bay  a  visit.  He  expected  to  be  there,  he  said, 
very  nearly  as  soon  as  the  Atlas. 

Shortly  after  the  Atlas  arrived,  a  boat  brought  up  some  of 
the  prisoners  from  Saldanha  Bay,  and  amongst  them  one  of  the 
crew  of  the  Alabama,  who  said  he  had  left  the  ship.  All  these 
waited  on  the  United  States  Consul,  but  were  unable  to  give 
much  information  beyond  what  we  had  already  received.  The 
news  that  the  Alabama  was  coming  into  Table  Bay,  and  would 
probably  arrive  about  four  o'clock  this  afternoon,  added  to  the 
excitement.  About  noon  a  steamer  from  the"  north-west  was 
made  known  by  the  signal-man  on  the  hill.  Could  this  be  the 
Alabama?  or  was  it  the  Hydaspes,  from  India,  or  the  Lady 
Jocelyn,  from  England?  All  three  were  now  hourly  expected, 
and  the  city  was  in  doubt.  Just  after  one  it  was  made 
down,  "  CONFEDERATE  STEAMER  ALABAMA,  FROM  THE  N.  W., 
AND  FEDERAL  BARQUE  FROM  THE  S.  E."  Here  was  to  be  a  cap 
ture  by  the  celebrated  Confederate  craft,  close  to  the  entrance  of 
Table  Bay.  The  inhabitants  rushed  off  to  get  a  sight.  Crowds 
of  people  ran  up  the  Lion's-hill,  and  to  the  Kloof-road.  All  the 
cabs  were  chartered — every  one  of  them ;  there  was  no  cavilling 
about  fares ;  the  cabs  were  taken  and  no  questions  asked,  but 
orders  were  given  to  drive  as  hard  as  possible.  The  barque 
coming  in  from  the  south-east,  and,  as  the  signal-man  made 
down,  five  miles  off;  the  steamer,  coming  in  from  the  north-west, 
eight  miles  off,  led  us  to  think  that  the  Kloof-road  was  the  best 
place  for  a  full  view.  To  that  place  we  directed  our  Jehu  to 
drive  furiously.  "We  did  the  first  mile  in  a  short  time  ;  but  the 
Kloof-hill  for  the  next  two  and-a-half  miles  is  up-hill  work. 
The  horse  jibbed,  so  we  pushed  on,  on  foot,  as  fast  as  possible, 
and  left  the  cab  to  come  on.  When  we  reached  the  summit,  we 
could  only  make  out  a  steamer  on  the  horizon,  from  eighteen  to 
twenty  miles  off.  This  could  not  be  the  Alabama,  unless  she 
was  making  off  to  sea  again.  There  was  no  barque.  As  soon 
as  our  cab  reached  the  crown  of  the  hill,  we  set  off  at  a  break 
neck  pace  down  the  hill,  on  past  the  Roundhouse,  till  we  came 
near  Brighton,  and  as  we  reached  the  corner,  there  lay  the  Ala 
bama  within  fifty  yards  of  the  unfortunate  Yankee.  As  the 
Yankee  came  round  from  the  south-east,  and  about  five  miles 
from  the  bay,  the  steamer  came  down  upon  her.  The  Yankee 
was  evidently  taken  by  surprise.  The  Alabama  fired  a  gun,  and 
brought  her  to.  When  first  we  got  sight  of  the  Alabama,  it  was 
difficult  to  make  out  what  she  was  doing ;  the  barque's  head  had 


278  APPENDIX,    NO.    V. 

been  put  about,  and  the  Alabama  lay  off  quite  immovable,  as  if 
she  were  taking  a  sight  at  the  "  varmint ! "  The  weather  was 
beautifully  calm  and  clear,  and  the  sea  was  as  smooth  and  trans 
parent  as  a  sheet  of  glass.  The  barque  was  making  her  way 
slowly  from  the  steamer,  with  every  bit  of  her  canvas  spread. 
The  Alabama,  with  her  steam  off,  appeared  to  be  letting  the 
barque  get  clear  off.  What  could  this  mean  ?  No  one  under 
stood.  It  must  be  the  Alabama.  "  There,"  said  the  spectators, 
"  is  the  Confederate  flag  at  her  peak ;  it  must  be  a  Federal 
barque,  too,  for  there  are  the  Stars  and  the  Stripes  of  the  States 
flying  at  her  nfain."  What  could  the  Alabama  mean  lying 
there — 

"  As  idly  as  a  painted  ship 
Upon  a  painted  ocean." 

What  it  meant  was  soon  seen.  Like  a  cat  watching  and  playing 
with  a  victimized  mouse,  Captain  Semmes  permitted  his  prize  to 
draw  off  a  few  yards,  and  he  then  up  steam  again,  and  pounced 
upon  her.  She  first  sailed  round  the  Yankee  from  stem  to  stern, 
and  stern  to  stem  again.  The  way  that  fine,  saucy,  rakish  craft 
was  handled  was  worth  riding  a  hundred  miles  to  see.  She 
went  round  the  bark  like  a  toy,  making  a  complete  circle,  and 
leaving  an  even  margin  of  water  between  herself  and  her  prize 
of  not  more  than  twenty  yards.  From  the  hill  it  appeared  as  if 
there  were  no  water  at  all  between  the  two  vessels.  This  done, 
she  sent  a  boat  with  the  prize  crew  off,  took  possession  in  the 
name  of  the  Confederate  States,  and  sent  the  barque  off  to  sea. 
The  Alabama  then  made  for  the  port. 

We  came  round  the  Kloof  to  visit  Captain  Semmes  on  board. 
As  we  came  we  found  the  heights  overlooking  Table  Bay  cover 
ed  with  people  ;  the  road  to  Green  Point  lined  with  cabs.  The 
windows  of  the  villas  at  the  bottom  of  the  hill  were  all  thrown 
up,  and  ladies  waved  their  handkerchiefs,  and  one  and  all  joined 
in  the  general  enthusiasm ;  over  the  quarries,  along  the  Malay 
burying-ground,  the  Gallows  Hill,  and  the  beach,  there  were 
masses  of  people — nothing  but  a  sea  of  heads  as  far  as  the  eye 
could  reach.  Along  Strand  Street  and  Adderley  Street  the  roofs 
of  all  the  houses  from  which  Table  Bay  is  overlooked,  were 
made  available  as  standing-places  for  the  people  who  could  not 
get  boats  to  go  off  to  her.  The  central,  the  north,  the  south,  and 
the  coaling  jetties,  were  all  crowded.  At  the  central  jetty  it 
was  almost  impossible  to  force  one's  way  through  to  get  a  boat. 
However,  all  in  good  time,  we  did  get  a  boat,  and  went  off  in 
the  midst  of  dingies,  cargo-boats,  gigs  and  wherries,  all  as  full 


APPENDIX,   NO.    V.  279 

as  they  could  hold.  Nearly  all  the  city  was  upon  the  bay ;  the 
rowing  clubs  in  uniform  pulled  off  with  favoured  members  of  their 
respective  clubs  on  board.  The  crews  feathered  their  oars  in 
double-quick  time,  and  their  pulling,  our  "  stroke  "  declared,  was 
"  a  caution,  and  no  mistake."  Just  before  getting  alongside,  we 
passed  Captain  Wilson  in  the  port-boat,  who  told  us  that  the 
prize  taken  was  the  Sea  Bride,  and  that  there  was  no  difficulty 
in  hearing  from  Captain  Semmes  himself  the  whole  story  of  the 
capture.  We  passed  the  Federal  barque  Urania  at  her  an 
chorage,  and  that  ship,  disregardful  of  the  privateer,  sported  all 
her  bunting  with  becoming  pluck.  The  Stars  and  Stripes  floated 
defiantly  from  her-mizen  peak,  and  her  name  from  her  main. 
On  getting  alongside  the  Alabama,  we  found  about  a  dozen  boats 
before  us,  and  we  had  not  been  on  board  five  minutes  before  she 
was  surrounded  by  nearly  every  boat  in  Table  Bay,  and  as  boat 
after  boat  arrived,  three  hearty  cheers  were  given  for  Captain 
Semmes  and  his  gallant  privateer.  This,  upon  the  part  of  a  neutral 
people,  is,  perchance,  wrong ;  but  we  are  not  af  guing  a  case — we 
are  recording  facts.  They  did  cheer,  and  cheer  with  a  will, 
too.  It  was  not,  perhaps,  taking  the  view  of  either  side,  Fed 
eral  or  Confederate,  but  in  admiration  of  the  skill,  pluck,  and 
daring  of  the  Alabama,  her  captain,  and  her  crew,  who  now 
afford  a  general  theme  of  "admiration  for  the  world  all  over. 

Visitors  were  received  by  the  officers  of  the  ship  most  cour 
teously,  and  without  distinction,  and  the  officers  conversed  freely 
and  unreservedly  of  their  exploits.  There  was  nothing  like  brag 
in  their  manner  of  answering  questions  put  to  them.  They  are  as 
fine  and  gentlemanly  a  set  of  fellows  as  ever  we  saw ;  most  of 
them  young  men.  The  ship  has  been  so  frequently  described, 
that  most  people  know  what  she  is  like,  as  we  do  who  have  seen 
her.  We  should  have  known  her  to  be  the  Alabama  if  we  had 
boarded  her  in  the  midst  of  the  ocean,  with  no  one  to  introduce 
us  to  each  other.  .  Her  guns  alone  are  worth  going  off  to  see, 
and  everything  about  her  speaks  highly  for  the  seamanship  and 
discipline  of  the  commander  and  his  officers.  She  has  a  very 
large  crew,  fine,  lithe-looking  fellows,  the  very  picture  of  Eng 
lish  men-of-war's  men. 

The  second  officer  told  us  that  it  was  the  Sea  Bride  they  had 
captured,  and  pointed  out  her  captain,  who  stood  aft  conversing 
with  a  number  of  people  who  had  gathered  round  him.  "  This, 
sir,"  said  the  officer,  "  is  our  fifty-sixth  capture ;  we  have  sent 
her  off  with  about  ten  of  our  men  as  a  crew,  and  we  left  a  few 
of  her  own  men  on  board  of  her."  We  asked  him  how  he  liked 


280  APPENDIX,    NO.    V. 

Saldanha  Bay,  and  his  answer  was,  "  It  is  a  very  charming 
place.  Why  did  you  not  build  Cape  Town  there?"  Our 
answer  was,  "  Because  we  never  do  anything  properly  at  the 
Cape."  "  Ah,  sir ! "  he  said  ;  "  that  is  a  great  mistake  to  leave 
so  fine  a  bay  without  harbor  conveniences.  It  is  a  great  deal 
better  than  Table  Bay.  We  enjoyed  ourselves  capitally  there, 
had  some  good  shooting ;  one  of  us  shot  an  ostrich,  a  fine  fellow, 
but  he  got  away.  Unfortunately,  we  lost  one  of  our  officers 
there — one  whom  we  all  respected — as  fine  an  officer  as  ever 
trod  this  ship's  deck.  He  was  in  a  boat  in  the  bay,  shooting 
wild  fowl ;  he  drew  his  gun  towards  him,  the  barrel  in  his  hand  ; 
the  trigger  caught,  the  charge  passed  through  his  lung,  and  his 
only  dying  words  were,  c  Oh,  me  ! '  and  he  fell  back  a  corpse. 
But  for  that  circumstance,  we  should  always  remember  Saldanha 
Bay  with  pleasure.  The  gun  was  within  an  inch  of  his  breast 
when  it  went  off'." 

After  this  melancholy  recital,  we  walked  across  to  get  a  little 
chat  with  the  prisoner  so  recently  captured.  He  is  a  superior 
man,  and  spoke  of  the  loss  of  his  ship  in  the  spirit  of  a  philos 
opher.  He  was  leaning  against  a  rail  just  opposite  the  cabin. 
"  What  can't  be  cured  must  be  endured,"  said  he.  In  answer 
to  our  remark,  that  an  hour  more  would  have  saved  him,  he 
said,  "  Yes,  it  would  ;  I  had  not  the  remotest  idea  of  a  capture 
at  this  end  of  the  world.  I  never  supposed  that  she  was  in  this 
direction.  I  was  in  my  cabin,  washing,"  said  he,  "  and  my 
mate  came  down  and  said  there  was  a  steamer  in  sight.  '  Cap 
ital  1 '  I  said  ;  '  it  is  the  English  mail-steamer ;  I  shall  be  just 
in  time  for  my  letters/  He  went  up  again,  and  shortly  return 
ing,  said,  4  She  is  going  to  hail  us.'  '  Hail  us  ! '  I  said ;  '  what 
the  deuce  can  she  want  to  hail  us  for?'  and  I  went  on  deck.  I 
looked  at  that  (pointing  to  the  Confederate  flag) ,  and  I  soon  saw 
who  we  were  falling  into  the  hands  of.  I  said,  '  Good-bye,  mate  ; 
we  shall  not  be  long  here.'  This,  sir,"  he  went  on  to  say,  "  is 
the  second  time  I  have  been  captured  coming  to  the  Cape.  I 
left  New  York  in  the  M.  J.  Calcon,  and  was  captured  by  the 
Florida  in  33°  West  and  between  28°  and  29°  North.  I  went 
home  all  right,  and  left  New  York  again  on  the  28th  of  May, 
direct  for  the  Cape."  This  gentleman's  name  is  Mr.  H.  Spaling. 

The  next  we  had  an  opportunity  of  conversing  with  was  the 
chief  officer.  This  gentleman  who,  by  the  way,  stands  six  feet 
four  out  of  his  shoes,  showed  us  round  the  ship  with  just  pride. 
He  pointed  out  to  us  the  peculiar  qualities  of  the  magnificent 
guns.  One  of  Blakeley's  rifle  pieces  is  a  terrible-looking 


APPENDIX,    NO.    V.  281 

weapon.  It  throws  conical  shells  of  a  hundred  weight ;  and  he 
remarked,  "  When  we  fought  the  Hatteras,  these  conical  shells 
struck  one  after  the  other  in  capital  style ;  they  exploded  with 
magnificent  effect,  and  lit  up  her  whole  broadside."  Many  of 
the  captured  crew  we  observed  in  irons. 

We  were  now  introduced  to  Capt.  Semmes,  who  up  to  this  time 
had  been  engaged  in  the  cabin  with  Mr.  W.  J.  Anderson,  of  Ander 
son,  Saxon,  and  Co.,  upon  the  subject  of  supplies,  which  are  to 
be  provided  by  the  firm.  We  received  a  very  cordial  greeting 
from  the  gallant  gentleman,  who  remarked  that  at  Bahia,  and 
indeed  everywhere  he  had  been,  both  his  officers  and  himself 
Jiad  received  very  great  attention  from  the  English  residents. 
We  had  always  concluded  that  Captain  Semmes,  of  the  Pow- 
hattan,  a  fine  steamer  belonging  to  the  States,  to  whom  we  were 
introduced  some  years  since  by  the  late  Mr.  D.  M.  Huckins, 
American  Consul,  was  the  captain  of  the  Sumter  and  Alabama  ; 
but  we  found  we  were  mistaken,  and  on  remarking  this  to  the 
captain,  he  said,  "  Captain  Semmes  of  the  Powhattan  is  of  the 
same  family  as  myself — he  is,  indeed,  my  cousin ;  but  he  was 
born  in  the  North,  his  interests  are  all  there,  and  he  remains  in 
the  Federal  service."  Having  desired  us  to  take  a  seat,  he  said 
he  should  be  happy  to  give  us  any  information  in  his  power  ;  he 
had  no  secrets,  and  bade  us  take  notes  if  we  wished  so  to  do. 
He  then  informed  us  that  he  had  taken  fifteen  ships  since  he  left 
Bahia.  We  told  him  that  Captain  Bartlett,  of  the  ship  Fortuna, 
stated  that  on  the  2d  of  July  he  saw  a  ship  on  fire.  Our  read 
ers  will  recollect  that  the  particulars  were  given  in  a  paragraph 
immediately  after  the  Fortuna  arrived.  It  was  as  follows  : — 
"  On  the  2d  of  July,  Captain  Bartlett  saw  some  smoke  rising 
up  on  the  horizon,  which  he  supposed  to  be  the  smoke  from  a 
steamer.  Later  in  the  day,  however,  a  strong  reflection  of  light 
was  seen  in  the  sky,  and  which  the  captain  at  once  believed  to 
be  a  ship  on  fire.  All  hands  were  then  called  up  '  to  bout  ship,' 
and  they  stood  towards  the  spot  from  whence  the  light  proceeded. 
This  was  about  six  o'clock  ;  and  at  two  o'clock  on  the  morning 
of  the  3d  July,  and  in  lat.  25°  57'  South,  and  in  long.  38°  20' 
West,  the  Fortuna  ran  up  within  forty  yards  of  a  large  vessel 
of  800  or  1000  tons,  which  was  enveloped  in  one  mass  of  flame 
from  stem  to  stern.  Nothing  remained  of  her  but  her  hull ; 
the  whole  of  her  rigging,  masts,  and  decks  had  already  been 
consumed.  As  the  Fortuna  ran  towards  the  wreck,  another 
vessel — the  Oaks — bound  to  Calcutta,  joined  her,  and  the  two 
vessels  spoke  one  another.  From  what  Captain  Bartlett  could 
13 


282 

make  out,  the  captain  of  the  Oaks  told  him  that  in  the  evening, 
about  half-past  six,  an  English  man-of-war  had  passed  him,  and 
whilst  passing  she  fired  two  guns,  from  which  it  was  concluded 
that  the  crew  of  the  burning  vessel  had  been  rescued  by  the 
man-of-war."  Captain  Semmes  said  Captain  Bartlett  was  quite 
right  in  supposing  that  the  ship  had  been  set  on  fire  by  himself. 
She  was  the  Annie  F.  Schmidt,  from  New  York  to  San  Fran 
cisco,  with  a  general  cargo  on  board  ;  but  the  supposition  of  the 
man-of-war  coming  to  the  rescue  of  the  crew  was  a  mistake. 
"  We  set  her  on  fire  in  the  night,"  said  Captain  Semmes,  "  and 
shortly  after  we  had  done  so,  we  heard  a  couple  of  guns.  We 
thought  it  was  another  Yankee,  and  we  up  steam  and  fired  a  gun 
for  her  to  heave- to.  On  coming  alongside  her,  we  found  she 
was  Her  Majesty's  frigate  Dido.  '  We  did  not  take  her,  sir/ 
said  the  captain,  with  a  laugh  ;  '  in  fact,  we  never  attempt  to 
take  any  of  Her  Majesty's  frigates.' " 

We  said  we  would  mention  that,  and  we  do,  as  Captain 
Semmes's  last.  "  The  Dido  people,"  he  went  on  to  say,  "  asked 
us  if  we  had  set  the  ship  on  fire,  and  I  answered  we  had,  and 
had  got  the  crew  safe  on  board.  '  All  right ! '  was  the  answer, 
and  we  parted.  She  was  a  vessel  of  about  1000  tons."  We 
asked  Captain  Semmes  if  he  could  give  us  the  names  of  the  ves 
sels  he  had  captured.  He  answered  that  he  could.  "  For,"  he 
said,  "  you  English  people  won't  be  neighbourly  enough  to  let 
me  bring  my  prizes  into  your  ports,  and  get  them  condemned, 
BO  that  I  ani  obliged  to  sit  here  a  court  of  myself,  try  every 
case,  and  condemn  the  ships  I  take.  The  European  powers,  I 
see,  some  of  them  complain  of  my  burning  the  ships  ;  but  what,  if 
they  will  preserve  such  strict  neutrality  as  to  keep  me  out  of  their 
ports,  what  am  I  to  do  with  these  ships  wrhen  I  take  them  but 
burn  them  ?  "  He  then  fetched  his  record  books,  and  we  took 
the  following  down  from  his  lips : — "  The  ships  we  have  cap 
tured  were — the  Ocmulgee,  of  400  tons,  thirty-two  men  on 
board  ;  we  burned  her.  The  Alert,  a  whaler  of  700  tons  ;  we 
burned  her.  The  whaling  schooner  Wcathergauge  ;  we  burned 
her.  The  whaling  brig  Altamaha  ;  we  burned  her.  The  whal 
ing  ship  Benjamin  Tucker ;  we  burned  her.  The  whaling 
schooner  Courser ;  we  burned  her.  The  whaling  barque  Vir 
ginia  ;  we  burned  her.  The  barque  Elisha  Dunbar,  a  whaler ; 
we  burned  her.  The  ship  Brilliant,  with  1000  tons  of  grain  on 
board ;  we  burned  her.  The  Emily  Farnum  we  captured  and 
released  as  a  cartel,  and  having  so  many  prisoners  we  put  some 
of  them  on  board  her,  and  sent  them  off.  The  Wave  Crest,  with 


APPENDIX,   NO.    V.  283 

a  general  cargo  on  board  for  Europe,  we  set  on  fire.  The  Dun 
kirk  brig,  with  a  general  cargo  on  board,  we  burned.  The  ship 
Tonawanda  we  captured,  with  a  valuable  freight  on  board,  and 
released  her,  after  taking  a  bond  for  a  thousand  dollars.  The 
ship  Manchester,  with  a  cargo  of  g~ain,  we  burned.  The  barque 
Lamplighter,  with  an  assorted  cargo  for  Europe,  we  burned. 
The  barque  Lafayette,  with  an  assorted  cargo,  we  burned.  The 
schooner  Crenshaw,  with  an  assorted  cargo  for  the  West  Indies, 
we  burned.  The  barque  Lauretta,  with  an  assorted  cargo  on 
board  for  Europe,  we  burned.  The  brig  Baron  de  Custine  we 
took  a  bond  for  and  released.  The  whaling  ship  Levi  Star- 
buck  we  burned.  The  T.  B.  Wales,  from  Calcutta  to  Boston, 
with  a  valuable  cargo  on  board,  we  burned.  The  barque 
Martha,  from  Calcutta  to  West  Indies,  with  an  assorted  cargo, 
we  burned.  The  schooner  Union  we,  after  boarding,  found  had 
some  English  property  on  board,  and  we  released  her  on  bond. 
The  mail  steamer  Ariel,  running  between  New  York  and  Aspin- 
wall,  we  captured.  Unfortunately  she  was  going,  not  returning, 
or  we  should  have  had  a  lot  of  gold.  We  released  her  on  bond. 
The  United  States  gunboat  Hatteras,  who  came  out  to  fight  us, 
had  the  same  number  of  guns  and  crew.  Our  guns  were  a  little 
heavier  than  hers,  but  we  equalized  them  by  permitting  her  to 
fight  us  at  300  yards.  We  sunk  her  in  thirteen  minutes  by  the 
watch.  The  barque  Golden  Rule,  with  an  assorted  cargo,  we 
burned.  She  belonged  to  the  same  company  as  the  Ariel.  The 
brig  Chastelaine  we  burned.  The  schooner  Palmetto  we 
burned.  The  barque  Olive  Jane  we  burned.  The  Golden 
Eagle,  laden  with  guano,  we  burned.  The  Washington,  from 
the  Pacific,  with  guano,  we  released  on  bond.  The  Bethia 
Thayer,  from  East  India,  with  a  valuable  cargo  on  board,  was 
released  on  bond.  The  John  A.  Parker,  with  flour  and  lumber, 
from  Boston  to  Buenos  Ayres,  we  burned.  The  Punjaub,  from 
East  India,  we  found  to  have  some  English  cargo  on  board,  we 
released  on  bond.  The  ship  Morning  Star  we  released  on  bond. 
The  whaling  schooner  Kingfisher  we  burned.  The  ship  Nora, 
from  Liverpool  to  West  Indies,  with  salt  on  board,  we  burned. 
The  barque  Lafayette  we  burned.  The  whaling  brig  Kate  Cory 
we  burned.  The  whaling  barque  Nye  we  burned.  The  Charles 
Hall,  from  Liverpool,  with  coal,  we  burned. 

"  The  ship  Louisa  Hatch,  from  Cardiff  to  West  Indies,  we 
burned.  The  ship  Dorcas  Prince,  with  a  general  cargo,  we 
burned.  The  ship  Sea  Lark,  with  a  general  cargo  from  the 
East  Indies,  we  burned.  The  barque  Union  Jack,  from  Boston 


284 

to  Shanghai,  we  burned.  We  captured  a  Yankee  consul  on 
board  of  her ;  he  was  on  his  way  to  Foochin ;  we  landed  him 
at  the  Brazils.  The  ship  Gildersliene,  from  New  York  to  the 
East  Indies,  we  burned.  The  barque  Justina  we  released  on 
bond,  to  take  home  prisoners.  The  ship  Jabez  Snow,  from  New 
York  to  the  East  Indies,  we  burned.  The  barque  Amazonian, 
from  Boston  to  Buenos  Ayres,  we  burned.  The  ship  Talisman, 
from  New  York  to  the  East  Indies,  we  burned.  The  barque 
Conrad,  fitted  up  as  a  Federal  cruiser,  a  tender  to  a  man-of-war, 
we  captured  and  burned.  After  these  came  the  Anne  F.  Schmidt, 
mentioned  before,  and  the  Sea  Bride — and  the  Sea  Bride  you 
saw  us  take  to-day.  The  estimated  value  of  these  captures  is 
4,200,000  dollars." 

The  American  Consul,  Mr.  Graham,  has  handed  to  his  Ex 
cellency  the  Governor  a  protest  against  the  capture  of  the  Sea 
Bride,  on  the  ground  that  the  vessel  was  in  British  waters  at 
t  ,e  time  of  her  being  stopped  by  the  Alabama.  His  Excellency 
told  Mr.  Graham  that  the  decision  of  the  case  remained  purely 
on  evidence,  but  he  would  see  there  was  no  breach  of  neutrality. 
The  Captain  of  the  Sea  Bride  says  he  is  prepared  to  show  by 
bearings  that  he  was  within  two  and  a  half  miles  of  Robben 
Island. 


No.  VI. 

CORRESPONDENCE  RESPECTING  THE 
TUSCALOOSA. 

Rear-Admiral  Sir  B.  Walker  to  the  Secretary  to  the  Admiralty. 
August  19,  1863. 

I  BEG  you  will  be  pleased  to  acquaint  my  Lords  Commis 
sioners  of  the  Admiralty  with  the  following  particulars  rela 
tive  to  the  proceedings  of  the  Confederate  States  ships  of  war 
Alabama,  her  reported  tender  Tuscaloosa,  and  the  Georgia, 
which  have  recently  arrived  at  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope. 

2.  On  the  28th  of  July  an  English  schooner  arrived  in  Table 
Bay,  and  reported  that  on  the  previous  day  she  had  been  board 
ed  by  the  Confederate  steamer  Alabama,  fifteen  miles  north-west 
of  Green  Point.     After  some  inquiries  the  Alabama  left  her, 
steering  south-east. 

3.  Upon  the  receipt  of  this  intelligence  I  ordered  Captain 
Forsyth,  of  the  Valorous,  to  hold  himself  in  readiness  to  pro 
ceed  to  any  of  the  ports  in  this  colony  where  the  Alabama  might 
anchor,  in  order  to  preserve  the  rules  of  strict  neutrality. 

4.  By  a  letter  addressed  to  the  Governor  of  this  Colony  by 
Captain   Semmes,  copy  of  which  was  telegraphed  to  me  on 
the   4th  instant,  it  appears  that  the  Alabama  had  proceeded 
to  Saldanha  Bay  for  a  few  days,  anchoring  there  on  the  29th 
of  July. 

5.  On  the  5th  instant  I  received  a  private  telegram  to  the 
effect  that  the  Alabama  was  off  Table  Bay,  when  I  directed  the 
Valorous  immediately  to  proceed  to  that  anchorage  ;  and  shortly 
afterwards  a  telegram  reached  me  from  the  Governor  stating 
"  that  the  Alabama  had  captured  a  vessel  (American),  which 
was  in  sight,  and  steering  for  Table  Bay."    The  Valorous  reached 


APPENDIX,   NO.    VI. 

that  Bay  at  10.15  p.  M.,  where  the  Alabama  had  anchored  at  3 
o'clock  in  the  afternoon  of  the  same  day. 

6.  Captain  Forsyth  having  informed  me  that  the  tender  to 
the  Alabama  had  been  ordered  by  Captain  Semmes  to  Simon's 
Bay  for  provisions,  and  having  learned  that  this  vessel  had  been 
captured  off  the  coast  of  Brazil,  and  not  been  condemned  in  any 
Prize  Court,  I  had  doubts  as  to  the  legality  of  considering  her 
in  the  light  of  a  tender,  being  under  the  impression  that  it  was 
a  ruse  to  disguise  the  real  character  of  the  vessel.     I  therefore 
wrote  to  the  Governor  to  obtain  the  opinion  of  the  Attorney- 
General  of  the  Colony  upon  this  subject,  which  correspondence 
is  inclosed. 

7.  On  the  8th  of  August  the  tender  Tuscaloosa,  a  sailing 
barque,  arrived  in  Simon's  Bay,  and  the  boarding  officer  having 
reported  to  me  that  her  original  cargo  of  wool  was  still  on  board, 
I  felt  that  there  were  grounds  for  doubting  her  real  character, 
and  again  called  the  Governor's  attention  to  this  circumstance. 
My  letter  and  his  reply  are  annexed.     And  I  would  here  beg  to 
submit  to  their  Lordships'  notice  that  this  power  of  a  captain  of 
a  ship  of  war  to  constitute  every  prize  he  may  take  a  "  tender," 
appears  to  me  to  be  likely  to  lead  to  abuse  and  evasion  of  the 
laws  of  strict  neutrality,  by  being  used  as  a  means  for  bringing 
prizes  ioto  neutral  ports  for  disposal  of  their  cargoes,  and  secret 
arrangements — which  arrangements,  it  must  be  seen,  could  after 
wards  be  easily  carried  out  at  isolated  places. 

8.  The  Alabama,  after  lying  three  days  in  Table  Bay,  came 
to  this  anchorage  to  caulk  and  refit.     She  arrived  here  on  the 
9th,  and  sailed  again  on  the  15th  instant.     Captain  Semmes  was 
guarded  in  his  conduct,  and  expressed  himself  as  most  anxious 
not  to  violate  the  neutrality  of  these  waters. 

9.  I  should  observe  that,  from  the  inclosed  copy  of  a  letter 
from  Captain  Forsyth  to  the  Governor,  it  would  appear  that  the 
vessel  Sea  Bride,  taken  by  the  Alabama  off  Table  Bay,  was  be 
yond  the  juisdiction  of  neutral  territory. 

10.  During  his  passage  to  this  port  Captain  Semmes  chased 
another  American  vessel,  the  Martha  Wentzel,  standing  in  for 
Table  Bay.     On  my  pointing  out  to  him  that  he  had  done  so  in 
neutral  waters,  he  assured  me  that  it  was  quite  unintentional, 
and,  being  at  a  distance  from  the  land,  he  did  not  observe  that 
he  had  got  within  three  miles  of  an  imaginary  line  drawn  from 
the  Cape  of  Good  Hope  to  Cape  Hanglip,  but  on  discovering  it 
he  did  not  detain  the  vessel.     The  explanation  I  considered 
sufficient. 


APPENDIX,    NO.    VI.  287 

11.  The  tender  Tuscaloosa,  having  been  detained  by  a  strong 
south-easter,  got  under  way  for  the  purpose  of  going  to  sea  on 
the  14th  instant,  but  anchored  again  a  little  distance  from  the 
Roman  Rock  lighthouse  in  consequence  of  thick  fog  prevailing. 

12.  The  Alabama  did  not  take  in  any  coal,  either  here  or  at 
Table  Bay,  but  after  being  caulked  she  proceeded  to  sea  on  the 
15th  instant,  followed  by  the  Tuscaloosa.     Their  destinations 
are  unknown. 

13.  On  the   16th  instant,  the   Confederate    States   steamer 
Georgia,  Commander  Maury,  anchored  in  this  bay.     She  re 
quires   coal,  provision,  and  caulking.     This  vessel  did  not  meet 
the  Alabama  outside. 

14.  The    Florida,  another   Confederate   States   steamer,  is 
reported  to  be  off  this  coast,  probably  cruising  to  intercept  the 
homeward-bound  American  ships  from  China ;  indeed,  it  is  with 
that  object  these  ships  are  on  this  part  of  the  Station. 

15.  I  have  learnt,  since  the  departure  of  the  Alabama,  and 
her  so-called  tender,  that  overtures  were  made  by  some  parties 
in  Cape  Town  to  purchase  the  cargo  of  wool,  but,  being  unsat 
isfactory,  they  were  not  accepted.     It  is  reported  to  be  Captain 
Semmes'  intention  to  destroy  the  Tuscaloosa  at  sea. 

16.  The  Alabama  is  a  steamer  of  about  900  tons,  with  8 
guns,  and  150  men.     The  Georgia  is  an  iron  steamer  of  about 
700  tons,  with  5  guns,  and  110  men.     The  Tuscaloosa  is  a  sail 
ing-barque  of  500  tons,  having  2  small  guns  and  10  men. 

Captain  Semmes,  C.S.N.,to  Governor  Sir  P.  Wodehouse.     Au 
gust  1,  1863. 

An  opportunity  is  offered  me  by  the  coasting  schooner  Atlas, 
to  communicate  with  the  Cape,  of  which  I  promptly  avail  my 
self. 

I  have  the  honour  to  inform  your  Excellency  that  I  arrived 
in  this  bay  on  Wednesday  morning  last,  for  the  purpose  of  ef 
fecting  some  necessary  repairs.  As  soon  as  these  repairs  can 
be  completed  I  will  proceed  to  sea,  and  in  the  meantime  your 
Excellency  may  rest  assured  that  I  will  pay  the  strictest  atten 
tion  to  the  neutrality  of  your  Government. 

Rear-Admiral  Sir  B.  Walker  to   Governor  Sir  P.  Wodehouse. 
August  7,  1863. 

Captain  Forsyth  having  informed  me  that  the  Alabama  has 
a  tender  outside  captured  by  Captain  Semmes  on  the  coast  of 


288  APPENDIX,    NO.    VI. 

America,  and  commissioned  by  one  of  the  Alabama's  Lieuten 
ants,  and  as  this  vessel  has  been  ordered  into  Simon's  Bay  for 
provisions,  may  I  request  your  Excellency  will  be  good  enough  to 
obtain  the  opinion  of  the  Law  Officers  whether  this  vessel  ought 
still  to  be  looked  upon  in  the  light  of  a  prize,  she  never  having 
been  condemned  in  a  Prize  Court ;  the  instructions,  copy  of 
which  I  inclose,  strictly  forbidding  prizes  captured  by  either  of 
the  contending  parties  in  North  America  being  admitted  into 
our  ports. 

Governor  Sir  .P.  Wodehouse  to  Bear-Admiral  Sir  B.   Walker. 
August  8,  1863. 

I  have  the  honour  to  acknowledge  the  receipt  of  your  Excel 
lency's  letter  of  yesterday's  date,  and  to  inclose  the  copy  of  an 
opinion  given  by  the  Acting  Attorney-General  to  the  effect  that 
the  vessel  to  which  you  refer  ought  to  be  regarded  as  a  tender 
and  not  as  a  prize. 

I  shall  take  care  to  submit  this  question  to  Her  Majesty's 
Government  by  the  next  mail,  but  in  the  meantime  I  conclude 
that  your  Excellency  will  be  prepared  to  act  on  the  opinion  of 
the  Attorney-General  in  respect  to  any  vessels  which  may  enter 
these  ports  in  the  character  of  prizes  converted  into  ships  of  war 
by  the  officers  of  the  navy  of  the  Confederate  States. 

Extracts  from  "  Wheaton's  Elements  of  International  Law" 

What  constitutes  a  setting  forth  as  a  vessel  of  war  has  been 
determined  by  the  British  Courts  of  Prize,  in  cases  arising  un 
der  the  clause  of  the  Act  of  Parliament,  which  may  serve  for 
the  interpretation  of  our  own  law,  as  the  provisions  are  the 
same  in  both.  Thus  it  has  been  settled  that  where  a  ship  was 
originally  armed  for  the  Slave  Trade,  and  after  capture  an  addi 
tional  number  of  men  were  put  on  board,  but  there  was  no 
commission  of  war  and  no  additional  arming,  it  was  not  a  set 
ting  forth  as  a  vessel  of  war  under  the  Act.  But  a  commission 
of  war  is  decisive  if  there  be  guns  on  board  ;  and  where  the 
vessel  after  the  capture  has  been  fitted  out  as  a  privateer,  it  is 
conclusive  against  her,  although,  when  recaptured,  she  is  navi 
gating  as  a  mere  merchant-;;hip  ;  for  where  the  former  charac 
ter  of  a  captured  vessel  had  been  obliterated  by  her  conversion 
into  a  ship  of  war,  the  Legislature  meant  to  look  no  further, 
but  considered  the  title  of  the  former  owner  forever  extin 
guished.  Where  it  appeared  that  the  vessel  had  been  engaged 


289 

in  a  military  service  of  the  enemy,  under  the  direction  of  his 
Minister  of  the  Marine,  it  was  held  as  a  sufficient  proof  of  a 
setting  forth  as  a  vessel  of  war ;  so  where  the  vessel  is  armed, 
and  is  employed  in  the  public  military  service  of  the  enemy  by 
those  who  have  competent  authority  so  to  employ  it,  although  it 
be  not  regularly  commissioned.  But  the  mere  employment  in 
the  enemy's  military  service  is  not  sufficient ;  but  if  there  be  a 
fair  semblance  of  authority,  in  the  person  directing  the  vessel 
to  be  so  employed,  and  nothing  upon  the  face  of  the  proceedings 
to  invalidate  it,  the  Court  will  presume  that  he  is  duly  author 
ized  ;  and  the  commander  of  a  single  ship  may  be  presumed  to 
be  vested  with  this  authority  as  commander  of  a  squadron. 

Rear-Admiral  Sir  B.  Walker  to    Governor  Sir  P.  Wodehouse. 
August  8,  1863. 

I  have  the  honour  to  acknowledge  the  receipt  of  your  Excel 
lency's  letter  of  this  day's  date,  covering  the  written  opinion  of 
the  Acting  Attorney-General  of  this  Colony  as  to  the  legality  of 
the  so-called  tender  to  the  Confederate  States  armed  ship  Alaba 
ma,  and  for  which  I  beg  to  express  my  thanks. 

The  vessel  in  question,  now  called  the  Tuscaloosa,  arrived 
here  this  evening,  and  the  boarding  officer  from  my  flag-ship 
obtained  the  following  information  : 

That  she  is  a  barque  of  500  tons,  with  two  small  rifled 
12-pounder  guns  and  ten  men,  and  was  captured  by  the  Alaba 
ma  on  the  21st  June  last,  off  the  coast  of  Brazil :  cargo  of  wool 
still  on  board. 

The  admission  of  this  vessel  into  port  will,  I  fear,  open  the 
door  for  numbers  of  vessels  captured  under  similar  circumstan 
ces  being  denominated  tenders,  with  a  view  to  avoid  the  pro 
hibition  contained  in  the  Queen's  instructions  ;  and  I  would  ob 
serve  that  the  vessel  Sea  Bride  captured  by  the  Alabama  off 
Table  Bay  a  few  days  since,  or  all  other  prizes,  might  be  in  like 
manner  styled  tenders,  making  the  prohibition  entirely  null  and 
void. 

I  apprehend  that  to  bring  a  captured  vessel  under  the  de 
nomination  of  a  vessel  of  war,  she  must  be  fitted  for  warlike  pur 
poses,  and  not  merely  have  a  few  men  and  two  small  guns  put 
on  board  of  her  (in  fact  nothing  but  a  prize  crew)  in  order  to 
disguise  her  real  character  as  a  prize. 

Now  this  vessel  has  her  original  cargo  of  wool  still  on  board, 
which  cannot  be  required  for  warlike  purposes,  and  her  arma- 
13* 


290 

ment  and  the  number  of  her  crew  are  quite  insufficient  for  any 
services  other  than  those  of  a  slight  defence. 

Viewing  all  the  circumstances  of  the  case,  they  afford  room 
for  the  supposition  that  the  vessel  is  styled  a  "  tender"  with  the 
object  of  avoiding  the  prohibition  against  her  entrance  as  a  prize 
into  our  ports,  where,  if  the  captors  wished,  arrangements  could 
be  made  for  the  disposal  of  her  valuable  cargo,  the  transhipment 
of  which,  your  Excellency  will  not  fail  to  see,  might  be  readily 
effected  on  any  part  of  the  coast  beyond  the  limits  of  this  Colony. 

My  sole  object  in  calling  your  Excellency's  attention  to  the 
case  is  to  avoid  any  breach  of  strict  neutrality. 

Governor  Sir  P.   Wodehouse  to  Bear-Admiral  Sir  B.  Walker. 
August  10,  1863. 

I  have  the  honour  to  acknowledge  the  receipt  of  your  Excel 
lency's  letter  of  the  8th  instant,  on  which  I  have  consulted  the 
Acting  Attorney-General. 

The  information  given  respecting  the  actual  condition  of  the 
Tuscaloosa  is  somewhat  defective,  but  referring  to  the  extract 
from  Wheaton  transmitted  in  my  last  letter,  the  Attorney-Gen 
eral  is  of  opinion  that  if  the  vessel  received  the  two  guns  from 
the  Alabama  or  other  Confederate  vessel  of  war,  or  if  the  person 
in  command  of  her  has  a  commission  of  war,  or  if  she  be  com 
manded  by  an  officer  of  the  Confederate  navy,  in  any  of  these 
cases  there  will  be  a  sufficient  setting  forth  as  a  vessel  of  war  to 
justify  her  being  held  to  be  a  ship  of  war  ;  if  all  of  these  points 
be  decided  in  the  negative,  she  must  be  held  to  be  only  a  prize, 
and  ordered  to  leave  forthwith. 

Rear-Admiral  Sir  B.  Walker  to   Governor  Sir  P.  Wodehouse. 
August  11,  1863. 

I  have  the  honour  to  acknowledge  the  receipt  of  your  Excel 
lency's  letter,  dated  yesterday,  respecting  the  Confederate  barque 
Tuscaloosa  now  in  this  bay. 

As  there  are  two  guns  on  board,  and  an  officer  of  the  Alaba 
ma  in  charge  of  her,  the  vessel  appears  to  come  within  the  mean 
ing  of  the  cases  cited  in  your  above-mentioned  communication. 

Governor  Sir  P.  Wodehouse  to  the  Duke  of  Newcastle. 

August  19,  1863. 
(Extract.) 

I  beg  to  take  this  opportunity  of  making  your  Grace  ac- 


291 

quainted  with  what  has  occurred  here  in  connection  with  the 
visit  of  the  Confederate  States  steamer  Alabama. 

On  Tuesday,  the  4th  instant,  I  received  a  letter  from  the 
Commander  of  that  vessel,  dated  the  1st  August  at  Saldanha 
Bay,  announcing  his  having  entered  that  bay  with  a  view  to  ef 
fecting  certain  repairs,  and  stating  that  he  would  put  to  sea  as 
soon  as  they  were  completed,  and  would  strictly  respect  our 
neutrality. 

When  this  intelligence  was  received,  the  United  States  Con 
sul  called  on  me  to  seize  her,  or  at  any  rate  to  send  her  away 
instantly ;  but  as  the  vessel  which  brought  the  news  reported 
that  the  Alabama  was  coming  immediately  to  Table  Bay,  I  re 
plied  that  I  could  not  seize  her,  but  would  take  care  to  enforce 
the  observance  of  the  neutral  regulations. 

On  the  next  day,  about  noon,  it  was  reported  from  the  signal 
station  that  the  Alabama  was  steering  for  Table  Bay  from  the 
north,  and  that  a  Federal  barque  was  coming  in  from  the  west 
ward  ;  and  soon  after,  that  the  latter  had  been  captured  and  put 
about.  A  little  after  2  p.  M.  the  United  States  Consul  called  to 
state  that  he  had  seen  the  capture  effected  within  British  waters  ; 
when  I  told  him  he  must  make  his  statement  in  writing,  and  an 
investigation  should  be  made.  I  also,  by  telegram,  immediately 
requested  the  Naval  Commander-in-Chief  to  send  a  ship  of  war 
from  Simon's  Bay.  The  Alabama,  leaving  her  prize  outside, 
anchored  in  the  bay  3.30  P.  M.,  when  Captain  Semmes  wrote  to 
me  that  he  wanted  supplies  and  repairs,  as  well  as  permission  to 
land  thirty-three  prisoners.  After  communicating  with  the 
United  States  Consul,  I  authorized  the  latter,  and  called  upon 
him  to  state  the  nature  and  extent  of  his  wants,  that  I  might  be 
enabled  to  judge  of  the  time  he  ought  to  remain  in  the  port. 
The  same  afternoon  he  promised  to  send  the  next  morning  a  list 
of  the  stores  needed,  and  announced  his  intention  of  proceeding 
with  all  despatch  to  Simon's  Bay  to  effect  his  repairs  there.  The 
next  morning  (August  6th)  the  Paymaster  called  on  me  with  the 
merchant  who  was  to  furnish  the  supplies,  and  I  granted  him 
leave  to  stay  till  noon  of  the  7th. 

On  the  night  of  the  5th,  Her  Majesty's  ship  Valorous  had 
come  round  from  Simon's  Bay.  During  the  night  of  the  6th  the 
weather  became  unfavourable  ;  a  vessel  was  wrecked  in  the  bay, 
and  a  heavy  sea  prevented  the  Alabama  from  receiving  her  sup 
plies  by  the  time  arranged.  On  the  morning  of  the  8th,  Captain 
Forsyth,  of  the  Valorous,  and  the  Port  Captain,  by  my  desire, 
pressed  on  Captain  Semmes  the  necessity  for  his  leaving  the  port 


292 

without  any  unnecessary  delay  ;  when  he  pleaded  the  continued 
heavy/  sea  and  the  absence  of  his  cooking  apparatus,  which  had 
been  sent  on  shore  for  repairs,  arid  had  not  been  returned  by  the 
tradesman  at  the  time  appointed,  and  intimated  his  own  anxiety 
to  get  away.  Between  6  and  7  A.  M.,  on  Sunday,  the  9th,  he 
sailed,  and  on  his  way  round  to  Simon's  Bay  captured  another 
vessel ;  but  on  finding  that  she  was  in  neutral  waters  he  imme 
diately  released  her. 

In  the  meantime,  the  United  States  Consul  had,  on  the  5th 
August,  addressed  to  me  a  written  statement  that  the  Federal 
barque  Sea  Bride  had  been  taken  "  about  four  miles  from  the 
nearest  land,"  and  "  already  in  British  waters  ; "  on  which  I 
promised  immediate  inquiry.  The  next  day  the  Consul  repeated 
his  protest,  supporting  it  by  an  affidavit  o£  the  master  of  the 
prize,  which  he  held  to  show  that  she  had  been  taken  about  two 
miles  and  a  hah0  from  the  land  ;  and  the  agent  for  the  United 
States  underwriters,  on  the  same  d#y,  made  a  similar  protest. 
On  the  7th,  the  Consul  represented  that  the  prize  had,  on  the 
previous  day,  been  brought  within  one  mile  and  a  half  of  the 
lighthouse,  which  he  considered  as  much  a  violation  of  the  neu 
trality  as  if  she  had  been  there  captured,  and  asked  me  to  have 
the  prize  crew  taken  out  and  replaced  by  one  from  the  Valorous, 
which  I  declined. 

I  had,  during  this  period,  been  seeking  for  authentic  infor 
mation  as  to  the  real  circumstances  of  the  capture,  more  particu 
larly  with  reference  to  the  actual  distance  from  the  shore,  and 
obtained  through  the  Acting  Attorney-General  statements  from 
the  keeper  of  the  Green  Point  Lighthouse  (this  was  supported  by 
the  Collector  of  Customs) ,  from  the  signalman  at  the  station  at 
the  Lion's  Rump,  and  from  an  experienced  boatman  who  was 
passing  between  the  shore  and  the  vessels  at  the  time.  Captain 
Forsyth,  of  the  Valorous,  also  made  inquiries  of  the  captain  of 
the  Alabama  and  of  the  Port  Captain,  and  made  known  the  re 
sult  to  me.  And  upon  all  these  statements  I  came  to  the  con 
clusion  that  the  vessels  were  not  less  than  four  miles  distant 
.from  land ;  and  on  the  8th  I  communicated  to  the  United  States 
Consul  that  the  capture  could  not,  in  my  opinion,  be  held  to  be 
illegal  by  reason  of  the  place  at  which  it  was  effected. 

In  his  reply  of  the  10th,  the  Consul  endeavoured  to  show 
how  indefensible  my  decision  must  be,  if,  in  these  days  of  im 
proved  artillery,  I  rested  it  on  the  fact  of  the  vessels  having 
been  only  three  miles  from  land.  This  passage  is,  I  think,  of 
considerable  importance,  as  involving  an  indirect  admission  that 


293 

they  were  not  within  three  miles  at  the  time  of  capture.  And  I 
hope  your  Grace  will  concur  in  my  view  that  it  was  not  my  duty 
to  go  beyond  what  I  found  to  be  the  distance  clearly  established 
by  past  decisions  under  international  law. 

An  important  question  has  arisen  in  connection  with  the 
Alabama,  on  which  it  is  very  desirable  that  I  should,  as  soon  as 
practicable,  be  made  acquainted  with  the  views  of  Her  Majesty's 
Government.  Captain  Semmes  had  mentioned  after  his  arrival 
in  port,  that  he  had  left  outside  one  of  his  prizes  previously 
taken,  the  Tuscaloosa,  which  he  had  equipped  and  fitted  as  a 
tender,  and  had  ordered  to  meet  him  in  Simon's  Bay,  as  she  also 
stood  in  need  of  supplies.  When  this  became  known  to  the 
naval  commander-in-chief,  he  requested  me  to  furnish  him  with 
a  legal  opinion ;  and  whether  this  vessel  could  he  held  to  be  a 
ship  of  war  before  she  had  been  formally  condemned  in  a  prize 
court ;  or  whether  she  must  not  be  held  to  be  still  a  prize,  and, 
as  such,  prohibited  from  entering  our  ports.  The  Acting  Attorney- 
General,  founding  his  opinion  on  Earl  Russell's  despatch  to  your 
Grace,  of  the  31st  January,  1862,  and  on  "  Wheaton's  Inter 
national  Law,"  states  in  substance  that  it  was  open  to  Captain 
Semmes  to  convert  this  vessel  into  a  ship  of  war,  and  that  she 
ought  to  be  admitted  into  our  ports  on  that  footing. 

On  the  8th  August  the  vessel  entered  Simon's  Bay,  and  the 
Admiral  wrote  that  she  had  two  small  rifled  guns,  with  a  crew 
of  ten  men,  and  that  her  cargo  of  wool  was  still  on  board.  He 
was  still  doubtful  of  the  propriety  of  admitting  her. 

On  the  10th  August,  after  further  consultation  with  the  Act 
ing  Attorney-General,  I  informed  Sir  Baldwin  Walker  that,  if  the 
guns  had  been  put  on  board  by  the  Alabama,  or  if  she  had  a 
commission  of  war,  or  if  she  were  commanded  by  an  officer  of 
the  Confederate  Navy,  there  must  be  held  to  be  a  sufficient 
setting  forth  as  a  vessel  of  war  to  justify  her  admission  into  port 
in  that  character. 

The  Admiral  replied  in  the  affirmative  on  the  first  and  last 
points,  and  she  was  admitted. 

The  Tuscaloosa  sailed  from  Simon's  Bay  on  the  morning  of 
the  14th  instant,  but  was  becalmed  in  the  vicinity  until  the  fol 
lowing  day,  when  she  sailed  about  noon.  The  Alabama  left 
before  noon  on  the  15th  instant.  Neither  of  these  vessels  was 
allowed  to  remain  in  port  longer  than  was  really  necessary  for 
the  completion  of  their  repairs. 

On  the  16th,  at  noon,  the  Georgia,  another  Confederate  war 
steamer,  arrived  at  Simon's  Bay  in  need  of  repairs,  and  is  still  there. 


294 

Before  closing  this  despatch  I  wish  particularly  to  request 
instructions  on  a  point  touched  on  in  the  letter  from  the  United 
States  Consul  of  the  17th  instant,  viz. :  the  steps  which  should 
be  taken  here  in  the  event  of  the  cargo  of  any  vessel  captured 
by  one  of  the  belligerents  being  taken  out  of  the  prize  at  sea,  and 
brought  into  one  of  our  ports  in  a  British  or  other  neutral 
vessel. 

Both  belligerents  are  strictly  interdicted  from  bringing  their 
prizes  into  British  ports  by  Earl  Russell's  letter  to  the  Lords  of 
the  Admiralty  of  the  1st  June,  1861,  and  T  conceive  that  a 
colonial  government  would  be  justified  in  enforcing  compliance 
with  that  order  by  any  means  at  its  command,  and  by  the  exer 
cise  of  force  if  it  should  be  required. 

But  that  letter  refers  only  to  "  prizes  ; "  that  is,  I  conceive, 
to  ships  themselves,  and  makes  no  mention  of  the  cargoes  they 
may  contain.  Practically  the  prohibition  has  been  taken  to  ex 
tend  to  the  cargoes ;  and  I  gathered,  from  a  conversation  with 
Captain  Semmes  on  the  subject  of  our  neutrality  regulations, 
that  he  considered  himself  debarred  from  disposing  of  them,  and 
was  thus  driven  to  the  destruction  of  all  that  he  took.  But  I 
confess  that  I  am  unable  to  discover  by  what  legal  means  I  could 
prevent  the  introduction  into  our  ports  of  captured  property 
purchased  at  sea,  and  tendered  for  entry  at  the  custom-house 
in  the  usual  form  from  a  neutral  ship.  I  have  consulted  the 
Acting  Attorney-General  on  the  subject,  and  he  is  not  prepared  to 
state  that  the  customs  authorities  would  be  justified  in  making  a 
seizure  under  such  circumstances ;  and  therefore,  as  there  is 
great  probability  of  clandestine  attempts  being  made  to  intro 
duce  cargoes  of  this  description,  I  shall  be  glad  to  be  favoured 
with  the  earliest  practicable  intimation  of  the  views  of  Her 
Majesty's  Government  on  the  subject. 

Captain  Semmes,   C.  S.  N.,  to  Sir  P.    Wodehouse. 
August  5,  1863. 

I  have  the  honour  to  inform  your  Excellency  of  my  arrival  in 
this  bay,  in  the  Confederate  States  steamer  Alabama  under  my 
command.  I  have  come  in  for  supplies  and  repairs,  and  in  the 
meantime  I  respectfully  ask  leave  to  land  in  Cape  Town  thirty- 
three  prisoners,  lately  captured  by  me  on  board  two  of  the 
enemy's  ships  destroyed  at  sea.  The  United  States  Consul  will 
doubtless  be  glad  to  extend  such  hospitality  and  assistance  to  his 
distressed  countrymen,  as  required  of  him  by  law. 


APPENDIX,   NO.    VI.  295 

Sir  P.    Wodehouse  to   Captain  Semmes,   C.  S.  N. 
August  5,  1863. 

I  have  the  honour  to  acknowledge  the  receipt  of  your  letter 
announcing  your  arrival  in  this  port,  and  to  state  that  I  have  no 
objection  to  offer  to  your  landing  the  prisoners  now  detained  in 
your  ship. 

I  have  further  to  beg  that  you  will  be  good  enough  to  state 
the  nature  and  extent  of  the  supplies  and  repairs  you  require, 
that  I  may  be  enabled  to  form  some  estimate  of  the  time  for 
which  it  will  be  necessary  for  you  to  remain  in  this  port. 

Captain  Semmes,   C.  S.  N.,  to  Sir  P.    Wodehouse. 
August  5,  1863. 

I  have  had  the  honour  to  receive  your  letter  of  this  day's 
date,  giving  me  permission  to  land  my  prisoners,  and  requesting 
me  to  state  the  nature  of  the  supplies  and  repairs  which  I  may 
require.  In  the  way  of  supplies  I  shall  need  some  provisions 
for  my  crew,  a  list  of  which  will  be  handed  you  to-morrow  by 
the  paymaster,  and  as  for  repairs  my  boilers  need  some  iron 
work  to  be  done,  and  my  bends  require  caulking,  being  quite 
open.  I  propose  to  take  on  board  the  necessary  materials  here, 
and  to  proceed  with  all  despatch  to  Simon's  Bay  for  the  purpose 
of  making  these  repairs. 

Mr.  Adamson  to   Captain  Semmes  C.  S.  N. 
August  6,  1863. 

I  am  directed  by  the  Governor  of  this  colony  to  acquaint 
you  that  he  has  received  from  the  Consul  for  the  United  States 
at  this  port  a  representation,  in  which  he  sets  forth  that  an 
American  barque  was  yesterday  captured  by  the  ship  which  you 
command,  in  British  waters,  in  violation  of  the  neutrality  of 
the  British  Government,  and  claims  from  him  redress  for  the 
alleged  outrage. 

His  Excellency  will  be  glad,  therefore,  to  receive  from  you 
any  explanation  you  may  wish  to  give  as  to  the  circumstances 
in  which  the  capture  was  effected. 

Captain  Semmes,   C.  S.  N.,  to  Mr.  Adamson. 
Cape  Town,  August  6,  1863. 

I  have  had  the  honour  to  receive  your  communication  of 
this  day's  date,  informing  me  that  the  United  States  Consul  at 


296 

this  port  had  presented  to  his  Excellency  the  Governor  a  repre 
sentation  in  which  he  sets  forth  that  an  American  barque  was 
yesterday  captured  by  this  ship  under  my  command  in  British 
waters,  in  violation  of  the  neutrality  of  the  British  Government, 
and  requesting  me  to  make  to  his  Excellency  such  representation 
as  I  may  have  to  offer  on  the  subject. 

In  reply,  I  have  the  honour  to  state  that  it  is  not  true  that 
the  barque  referred  to  was  captured  in  British  waters,  and  in 
violation  of  British  neutrality  ;  she  having  been  captured  outside 
all  headlands,  and  a  distance  from  the  nearest  land  of  between 
five  and  six  miles.  As  I  approached  this  vessel  I  called  the 
particular  attention  of  my  officers  to  the  question  of  distance, 
and  they  all  agreed  that  the  capture  was  made  from  two  to  three 
miles  outside  the  marine  league. 

U.  S.  Consul  to  Sir  P.  Wodehouse.     August  4,  1863. 

From  reliable  information  received  by  me,  and  which  you 
are  also  doubtless  in  possession  of,  a  war  steamer  called  the  Al 
abama  is  no  in  Saldanha  Bay,  being  painted,  discharging  pris 
oners  of  war,  &c. 

The  vessel  in  question  was  built  in  England  to  prey  upon 
the  commerce  of  the  United  States  of  America,  and  escaped 
therefrom  while  on  her  trial  trip,  forfeiting  bonds  of  £20,000, 
which  the  British  Government  exacted  under  the  Foreign  En 
listment  Act. 

Now,  as  your  Government  has  a  treaty  of  amity  and  com 
merce  with  the  United  States,  and  has  not  recognised  the  per 
sons  in  revolt  against  the  United  States  as  a  Government  at  all, 
the  vessel  alluded  to  should  be  at  once  seized  and  sent  to  Eng 
land,  from  whence  she  clandestinely  escaped.  Assuming  that 
the  British  Government  was  sincere  in  exacting  the  bonds,  you 
have  doubtless  been  instructed  to  send  her  home  to  England, 
where  she  belongs.  But  if,  from  some  oversight,  you  have  not 
received  such  instructions,  and  you  decline  the  responsibility  of 
making  the  seizure,  I  would  most  respectfully  protest  against 
the  vessel  remaining  in  any  port  of  the  colony  another  day. 
She  has  been  at  Saldanha  Bay  four  [six]  days  already,  and  a 
week  previously  on  the  coast,  and  has  forfeited  all  right  to  re 
main  an  hour  longer  by  this  breach  of  neutrality.  Painting  a 
ship  does  not  come  under  the  head  of  "  necessary  repairs,"  and 
is  no  proof  that  she  is  unseaworthy ;  and  to  allow  her  to  visit 
other  ports  after  she  has  set  the  Queen's  proclamation  of  neu- 


APPENDIX,    NO.    VI.  297 

tralitj  at  defiance  would  not  be  regarded  as  in  accordance  with 
the  spirit  and  purpose  of  that  document. 

Mr.  Adamson  to  U.  S.  Consul.     August  5,  1863. 

I  am  directed  by  the  Governor  to  acknowledge  the  receipt 
of  your  letter  of  yesterday's  date  relative  to  the  Alabama. 

His  Excellency  has  no  instructions,  neither  has  he  any  au 
thority,  to  seize  or  detain  that  vessel ;  and  he  desires  me  to  ac 
quaint  you  that  he  has  received  a  letter  from  the  Commander, 
dated  the  1st  instant,  stating  that  repairs  were  in  progress,  and 
as  soon  as  they  were  completed  he  intended  to  go  to  sea.  He 
further  announces  his  intention  of  respecting  strictly  the  neu 
trality  of  the  British  Government. 

The  course  which  Captain  Semmes  here  proposes  to  take  is, 
in  the  Governor's  opinion,  in  conformity  with  the  instructions 
he  has  himself  received  relative  to  ships  of  war  and  privateers 
belonging  to  the  United  States  and  the  States  calling  themselves 
the  Confederate  States  of  America  visiting  British  ports. 

The  reports  received  from  Saldanha  Bay  induce  the  Gov 
ernor  to  believe  that  the  vessel  will  leave  that  harbour  as  soon 
as  her  repairs  are  completed ;  but  he  will  immediately,  on  re 
ceiving  intelligence  to  the  contrary,  take  the  necessary  steps  for 
enforcing  the  observance  of  the  rules  laid  down  by  Her  Majes 
ty's  Government. 

Mr.  Graham  (  U.  S.  Consul)  to  Sir  P.  Wodehouse.     August  5, 

1863. 

The  Confederate  steamer  Alabama  has  just  captured  an 
American  barque  off  Green  Point,  or  about  four  miles  from  the 
nearest  land  (Robben  Island).  I  witnessed  the  capture  with 
my  own  eyes,  as  did  hundreds  of  others  at  the  same  time.  This 
occurrence  at  the  entrance  of  Table  Bay,  and  clearly  in  British 
waters,  is  an  insult  to  England  and  a  grievous  injury  to  a 
friendly  Power,  the  United  States. 

Towards  the  Government  of  my  country  and  her  domestic 
enemies  the  Government  of  England  assumes  a  position  of  neu 
trality  ;  and  if  the  neutrality  can  be  infringed  with  impunity,  in 
this  bold  and  daring  manner,  the  Government  of  the  United 
States  will  no  doubt  consider  the  matter  as  one  requiring  imme 
diate  explanation. 

Believing  that  the  occurrence  was  without  your  knowledge 


or  expectation,  and  hoping  you  will  take  such  steps  to  redress 
the  outrage  as  the  exigency  requires,  I  am,  &c. 

Mr.  Rawson  to  Mr.  Graham.     August  6,  1863. 

I  am  directed  by  the  Governor  to  acknowledge  the  receipt 
of  your  letter  of  yesterday's  date  respecting  the  capture  of  the 
Sea  Bride  by  the  Alabama,  and  to  acquaint  you  that  he  will  lose 
no  time  in  obtaining  accurate  information  as  to  the  circum 
stances  of  the  capture.  I  have,  &c., 

(Signed)         RAWSON  W.  RAWSON, 
Colonial  Secretary. 

Mr.  Graham  to  Sir  P.  Wodehouse.     August  6,  1863. 

I  have  the  honour  to  acknowledge  the  receipt  of  your  de 
spatch  of  this  date. 

I  beg  now  to  enclose  for  your  Excellency's  perusal,  the  affi 
davit  of  Captain  Charles  F.  White,  of  the  Sea  Bride,  protesting 
against  the  capture  of  the  said  barque  in  British  waters.  The 
bearings  taken  by  him  at  the  time  of  capture  conclusively  show 
that  she  was  in  neutral  waters,  being  about  two  and  a  half  miles 
from  Robben  Island.  This  statement  is  doubtless  more  satis 
factory  than  the  testimony  of  persons  who  measured  the  distance 
by  the  eye. 

I  believe  that  there  is  no  law  defining  the  word  "coast" 
other  than  international  law.  That  law  has  always  limited  neu 
tral  waters  to  the  fighting  distance  from  land,  which,  upon  the 
invention  of  gunpowder,  was  extended  to  a  distance  of  three 
nautical  miles  from  land  on  a  straight  coast,  and  by  the  same 
rule,  since  the  invention  of  Armstrong  rifled  cannon,  to  at  least 
six  miles. 

But  all  waters  inclosed  by  a  line  drawn  between  two  prom 
ontories  or  headlands  are  recognised  by  all  nations  as  neutral, 
and  England  was  the  first  that  adopted  the  rule,  calling  such 
waters  the  "  King's  chambers."  By  referring  to  "  Wheaton's 
Digest,"  page  234,  or  any  other  good  work  on  international  law, 
you  will  find  the  above  rules  laid  down  and  elucidated. 

The  fact  that  the  prize  has  not  already  been  burned,  and 
that  her  fate  is  still  in  suspense,  is  clear  proof  that  Captain 
Semraes  had  misgivings  as  to  the  legality  of  the  capture,  and 
awaits  your  Excellency's  assent.  If  you  decide  that  the  prize 
was  legally  taken,  you  will  assume  a  responsibility  which  Captain 
Semines  himself  declined  to  take. 


Affidavit  of  G.  F.  White. 

On  this  6th  day  of  August,  A.D.  1863,  personally  appeared 
before  me,  Walter  Graham,  Consul  of  the  United  States  at  Cape 
Town,  Charles  F.  White,  master  of  the  barque  Sea  Bride,  of 
Boston,  from  New  York,  and  declared  on  affidavit  that  on  the 
3d  day  of  August  instant,  he  sighted  Table  Mountain  and  made 
for  Table  Bay,  but  that  on  the  4th  instant,  night  coming  on,  he 
was  compelled  to  stand  out.  On  the  5th  instant,  he  again  made 
for  the  anchorage,  and  about  two  P.M.  saw  a  steamer  standing 
toward  the  barque,  which  he  supposed  was  the  English  mail 
steamer,  but  on  nearing  her,  found  her  to  be  the  Confederate 
steamer  Alabama.  He,  Captain  White,  was  peremptorily  or 
dered  to  heave  his  vessel  to  as  a  prize  to  the  Alabama.  One 
gun  was  fired,  and  immediately  after  the  demand  was  made 
another  gun  was  fired.  Two  boats  were  lowered  from  the  Ala 
bama  and  sent  on  board  the  barque.  The  officer  in  charge  of 
these  boats  demanded  the  ship's  papers,  which  the  said  master 
was  compelled  to  take  on  board  the  said  steamer.  This  hap 
pened  about  a  quarter  before  three  o'clock.  He  and  his  crew 
were  immediately  taken  from  his  vessel  and  placed  as  prisoners 
on  board  the  Alabama,  the  officers  and  crew  being  put  in  irons. 
The  position  of  the  barque  at  the  time  of  capture  was  as  fol 
lows  : — Green  Point  Lighthouse  bearing  south  by  east ;  Robbeu 
Island  Lighthouse  north-east. 

The  said  appearer  did  further  protest  against  the  illegal  cap 
ture  of  said  vessel,  as  she  was  in  British  waters  at  the  time  of 
capture,  according  to  bearings. 

Mr.  Graham  to  Sir  P.  Wodehouse.     August  7,  1863. 

Understanding  from  your  letter  of  this  date,  received  this 
morning,*  that  the  case  of  the  Sea  Bride  is  still  pending,  I  en 
close  the  affidavits  of  the  first  officer  of  that  vessel  and  the  cook 
and  steward,  which  I  hope  will  throw  additional  light  on  the 
subject. 

From  the  affidavit  of  the  first  officer,  it  appears  that  the  al 
leged  prize  was  brought  within  one  and  a  half  miles  of  Green 
Point  Lighthouse  yesterday  at  one  o'clock  P.M.  Now,  as  the 
vessel  was  at  that  time  in  charge  of  a  prize  crew,  it  was  a  vio 
lation  of  neutrality  as  much  as  if  the  capture  had  been  made  at 
the  same  distance  from  land. 

*  A  formal  acknowledgment  omitted  here  as  superfluous. 


300  APPENDIX,    NO.    VI. 

Pending  your  decision  of  the  case  I  would  most  respectfully 
suggest  that  the  prize  crew  on  board  the  Sea  Bride  be  removed, 
and  that  the  vessel  be  put  in  charge  of  a  crew  from  Her  Majes 
ty's  ship  Valorous. 

Affidavit  of  James  Robertson. 

On  the  day  and  date  hereof  before  me,  Walter  Graham, 
Consul  for  the  United  States  of  America  at  Cape  Town,  person 
ally  came  and  appeared  James  Robertson,  cook  and  steward  of 
the  barque  Sea  Bride,  an  American  vessel,  and  made  affidavit 
that  he  was  on  board  said  barque  on  the  night  of  the  5th  day  of 
August  instant,  after  the  said  barque  had  been  captured  as  a 
prize  by  the  Confederate  steamer  Alabama,  and  a  prize  crew 
put  on  board.  That  at  about  five  minutes  before  two  o'clock 
A.M.  of  the  6th  instant,  the  prize  crew  on  board  the  said  barque 
received  a  signal  from  the  Alabama  aforesaid  to  burn  the  said 
barque,  and  immediately  all  hands  were  called  to  execute  that 
order.  That  the  sails  were  clewed,  a  tar  barrel  taken  from  un 
derneath  the  top-gallant  forecastle  and  placed  in  the  forecastle, 
and  a  bucketful  of  tar,  with  other  combustibles  and  ammunition, 
ordered  on  the  cabin  table,  but  that  when  these  arrangements 
were  completed,  another  signal  was  received  from  the  said  Ala 
bama,  countermanding  the  order  to  burn  the  said  prize,  and  to 
stand  off  and  on  the  land  until  daylight,  which  orders  were 
obeyed. 

Affidavit  of  John  Schofield. 

On  the  day  and  date  hereof  before  me,  Walter  Graham, 
Consul  for  the  United  States  of  America  at  Cape  Town,  per 
sonally  came  and  appeared  John  Schofield,  first  officer  of  the 
barque  Sea  Bride,  of  Boston,  who  made  affidavit  that  he  was 
on  board  of  said  vessel  at  one  o'clock  P.M.  yesterday,  the  6th 
day  of  August  instant,  while  she  was  in  possession  of  a  prize 
crew  of  the  steamer  Alabama ;  that  he  took  the  bearings  of 
said  barque  at  that  time,  which  were  as  follows  :  Robben  Island 
Lighthouse  bore  north-east  by  north  one-half  north,  Green  Point 
Lighthouse  bore  south-west  one-half  west. 

He  also  deposed  that  the  officer  in  command  of  the  barque 
came  on  deck  about  that  time,  and  stamping  his  foot  as  if  cha 
grined  to  find  her  so  near  the  land,  ordered  her  further  off, 
which  was  done  immediately. 


APPENDIX,    NO.    VI.  301 


Mr.  Adamson  to  Mr.  Graham.     August  7,  1863. 

I  am  directed  by  the  Governor  to  acknowledge  the  receipt 
of  your  letter  of  this  date,  inclosing  two  affidavits  relative  to 
the  Sea  Bride,  and  to  state  that  his  Excellency  is  not  prepared 
to  admit  that  the  fact  of  that  vessel  having  been  brought  by  the 
prize  crew  within  one  and  a  half  miles  of  the  Green  Point 
Lighthouse  "  was  a  violation  of  the  neutrality  as  much  as  if  the 
capture  had  taken  place  at  the  same  distance  from  land,"  al 
though  both  the  belligerents  are  prohibited  from  bringing  their 
prizes  into  British  ports. 

The  Governor  does  not  feel  warranted  in  taking  steps  for 
the  removal  of  the  prize  crew  from  the  Sea  Bride. 

Mr.  Eawson  to  Mr.  Graham.     August  8,  1863. 

With  reference  to  the  correspondence  that  has  passed  relative 
to  the  capture  by  the  Confederate  States  steamer  Alabama,  of 
the  barque  Sea  Bride,  I  am  directed  by  the  Governor  to  acquaint 
you  that,  on  the  best  information  he  has  been  enabled  to  procure, 
he  has  come  to  the  conclusion  that  the  capture  cannot  be  held  to 
be  illegal,  or  in  violation  of  the  neutrality  of  the  British  Gov 
ernment,  by  reason  of  the  distance  from  land  at  which  it  took 
place. 

His  Excellency  will,  by  next  mail,  make  a  full  report  of  the 
case  to  Her  Majesty's  Government. 
i 

Mr.  Graham  to  Sir  P.  Wodehouse.     August   10,  1863. 

Your  decision  in  the  case  of  the  Sea  Bride  was  duly  received 
at  four  o'clock  p.  M.  on  Saturday.  In  communicating  that  de 
cision  you  simply  announce  that  the  vessel  was,  in  your  opinion, 
and  according  -to  evidence  before  you,  a  legal  prize  to  the  Ala 
bama  ;  but  you  omit  to  state  the  principle  of  international  law 
that  governed  your  decision,  and  neglect  to  furnish  me  with  the 
evidence  relied  upon  by  you. 

Under  these  circumstances  I  can  neither  have  the  evidence 
verified  or  rebutted  here,  nor  am  I  enabled  to  transmit  it  as  it 
stands  to  the  American  Minister  at  London,  nor  to  the  United 
States  Government  at  Washington.  An  invitation  to  be  present 
when  the  ex  parte  testimony  was  taken  was  not  extended  to  me, 
and  I  am  therefore  ignorant  of  the  tenor  of  it,  and  cannot  dis 
tinguish  the  portion  thrown  out  from  that  which  was  accepted. 


302  APPENDIX,    NO.    VI. 

If  your  decision  is  that  the  neutral  waters  of  this  colony  only 
extend  a  distance  of  three  miles  from  land,  the  character  of  that 
decision  would  have  been  aptly  illustrated  to  the  people  of  Cape 
Town  had  an  American  war-vessel  appeared  on  the  scene,  and 
engaged  the  Alabama  in  battle.  In  such  a  contest  with  cannon 
currying  a  distance  of  six  miles  (three  overland),  the  crashing 
buildings  in  Cape  Town  would  have  been  an  excellent  com 
mentary  on  your  decision. 

But  the  decision  has  been  made,  and  cannot  be  revoked  here, 
so  that  further  comment  at  present  is,  therefore,  unnecessary.  It 
can  only  be  reversed  by  the  Government  you  represent,  which 
it  probably  will  be  when  the  United  States  Government  shall 
claim  indemnity  for  the  owners  of  the  Sea  Bride. 

An  armed  vessel  named  the  Tuscaloosa,  claiming  to  act  un 
der  the  authority  of  the  so-called  Confederate  States,  entered 
Simon's  Bay  on  Saturday  the  8th  instant.  That  vessel  was  for 
merly  owned  by  citizens  of  the  United  States,  and  while  engaged 
in  lawful  commerce  was  captured  as  a  prize  by  the  Alabama. 
She  was  subsequently  fitted  out  with  arms  by  the  Alabama  to 
prey  upon  the  commerce  of  the  United  States,  and  now,  without 
having  been  condemned  as  a  prize  by  any  Admiralty  Court  of 
any  recognized  Government,  she  is  permitted  to  enter  a  neutral 
port  in  violation  of  the  Queen's  Proclamation,  with  her  original 
cargo  on  board.  Against  this  proceeding  I  hereby  most  em 
phatically  protest,  and  I  claim  that  the  vessel  ought  to  be  given 
up  to  her  lawful  owners.  The  capture  of  the  Sea  Bride  in 
neutral  waters,  together  with  the  case  of  the  Tuscaloosa,  also  a 
prize,  constitute  the  latest  and  best  illustration  of  British  neu-  * 
trality  that  has  yet  been  given. 

Mr.  Eawson  to  Mr.  Graham.     August  10,  1863. 

I  am  directed  by  the  Governor  to  acknowledge  the  receipt 
of  your  letter  of  this  date,  and  to  state  with  reference  to  that 
part  of  it  which  relates  to  the  Tuscaloosa,  that  his  Excellency  is 
still  in  correspondence  with  the  Commander-in-chief  respecting 
the  character  of  that  vessel,  and  the  privileges  to  which  she  is 
entitled. 

Mr.  Graham  to  Sir  P.  Wodehouse.     August  12,  1863. 

Upon  receiving  your  last  communication  to  me  dated  the 
10th  instant,  I  deemed  it  simply  a  report  of  progress  on  one 
subject  treated  of  in  my  last  letter  to  your  Excellency,  and  I 


303 

have  therefore  waited  anxiously  for  the  receipt  of  another  letter 
from  the  Colonial  Secretary  communicating  the  final  result  in 
the  case.  Failing  to  receive  it,  and  hearing  yesterday  p.  M.  that 
the  Tuscaloosa  would  proceed  to  Sea  from  Simon's  Bay  to-day, 
I  applied  for  an  injunction  from  the  Supreme  Court  to  prevent 
the  vessel  sailing  before  I  had  an  opportunity  of  showing  by  wit 
nesses  that  she  is  owned  in  Philadelphia  in  the  United  States, 
and  her  true  name  is  Conrad  ;  that  she  has  never  been  con 
demned  as  a  prize  by  any  legally  constituted  Admiralty  Court ; 
and  that  I  am  ex  qfficio  the  legal  agent  of  the  owners,  under 
writers,  and  all  others  concerned.  I  have  not  yet  learned  the 
result  of  that  application,  and  fearing  that  delay  may  allow  her 
to  escape,  I  would  respectfully  urge  you  to  detain  her  in  port 
until  the  proper  legal  steps  can  be  taken. 

I  am  well  aware  that  your  Government  has  conceded  to  the 
so-called  Confederate  States  the  rights  of  belligerents,  and  is 
thereby  bound  to  respect  Captain  Semmes'  commission ;  but 
having  refused  to  recognize  the  "Confederacy"  as  a  nation,  and 
having  excluded  his  captures  from  all  the  ports  of  the  British 
Empire,  the  captures  necessarily  revert  to  their  real  owners, 
and  are  forfeited  by  Captain  Semmes  as  soon  as  they  enter  a 
British  port. 

Hoping  to  receive  an  answer  to  this  and  the  preceding  letter 
as  early  as  possible,  and  that  you  will  not  construe  my  persistent 
course  throughout  this  correspondence  on  neutral  rights  as  im 
portunate,  or  my  remarks  as  inopportune,  I  have,  &c. 

Mr.  Eawson  to  Mr.  Graham.     August  12,  1863. 

I  am  directed  by  the  Governor  to  acknowledge  the  receipt 
of  your  letter  of  this  date,  and  to  acquaint  you  that  it  was  not 
until  late  last  evening  that  his  Excellency  received  from  the 
naval  Commander-in-chief  information  that  the  condition  of  the 
Tuscaloosa  was  such  as,  as  his  Excellency  is  advised,  to  entitle 
her  to  be  regarded  as  a  vessel  of  war. 

The  Governor  is  not  aware,  nor  do  you  refer  him  to  the  pro 
visions  of  international  law  by  which  captured  vessels,  as  soon 
as  they  enter  our  neutral  ports,  revert  to  their  real  owners,  and 
are  forfeited  by  their  captors.  But  his  Excellency  believes  that 
the  claims  of  contending  parties  to  vessels  captured  can  only  be  de 
termined  in  the  first  instance  by  the  Courts  of  the  captor's  country. 

The  Governor  desires  me  to  add  that  he  cannot  offer  any 
objection  to  the  tenor  of  the  correspondence  which  you  have  ad- 


304 

dressed  to  him  on  this  subject,  and  that  he  is  very  sensible  of 
the  courtesy  you  have  exhibited  under  such  very  peculiar  cir 
cumstances  ! ! !  He  gives  you  credit  for  acting  on  a  strict  sense 
of  duty  to  your  country. 

Mr.  Graham  to  Sir  P.  Wodehouse.    August  17,  1863. 

I  have  delayed  acknowledging  the  receipt  of  your  last  letter, 
dated  the  12th  August,  on  account  of  events  transpiring,  but 
which  have  not  yet  culminated  so  as  to  form  the  subject  of  cor 
respondence. 

Your  decision  that  the  Tuscaloosa  is  a  vessel  of  war,  and  by 
inference  a  prize,  astonishes  me,  because  I  do  not  see  the  neces 
sary  incompatibility.  Four  guns  were  taken  from  on  board  the 
Talisman  (also  a  prize),  and  put  on  board  the  Conrad  (Tusca 
loosa),  but  that  transfer  did  not  change  the  character  of  either 
vessel  as  a  prize,  for  neither  of  them  could  cease  to  be  a  prize 
till  it  had  been  condemned  in  an  Admiralty  Court  of  the  captor's 
country,  which  it  is  not  pretended  has  been  done.  The  Tusca 
loosa,  therefore,  being  a  prize,  was  forbidden  to  enter  Simon's 
Bay  by  the  Queen's  Proclamation,  and  should  have  been  ordered 
off  at  once  ;  but  she  was  not  so  ordered.  Granting  that  Her 
Majesty's  Proclamation  affirmed  the  right  of  Captain  Semmes 
as  a  belligerent  to  take  and  to  hold  prizes  on  the  high  seas,  it 
just  as  emphatically  denied  his  right  to  hold  them  in  British 
ports-.  Now,  if  he  could  not  hold  them  in  Simon's  Bay,  who 
else  could  hold  them  except  those  whose  right  to  hold  them  was 
antecedent  to  his — that  is,  the  owners  ? 

The  Tuscaloosa  remained  in  Simon's  Bay  seven  days  with 
her  original  cargo  of  skins  and  wool  on  board.  This  cargo,  I 
am  informed  by  those  who  claim  to  know,  has  been  purchased 
by  merchants  in  Cape  Town ;  and  if  it  should  be  landed  here 
directly  from  the  prize,  or  be  transferred  to  other  vessels  at 
some  secluded  harbour  on  the  coast  beyond  this  Colony,  arid 
brought  from  thence  here,  the  infringement  of  neutrality  will  be 
so  palpable  and  flagrant  that  Her  Majesty's  Government  will 
probably  satisfy  the  claims  of  the  owners  gracefully  and  at  once, 
and  thus  remove  all  cause  of  complaint.  In  so  doing  it  will 
have  to  disavow  and  repudiate  the  acts  of  its  executive  agents 
here — a  result  I  have  done  all  in  my  power  to  prevent. 

Greater  cause  of  complaint  will  exist  if  the  cargo  of  the  Sea 
Bride  is  disposed  of  in  the  same  manner,  as  1  have  reason  to  ap 
prehend  it  will  be  when  negotiations  are  concluded ;  for  being 


APPENDIX,    NO.    VI.  -  305 

originally  captured  in  neutral  waters,  the  thin  guise  of  neutral 
ity  would  be  utterly  torn  into  shreds  by  the  sale  of  her  cargo 
here. 

The  Georgia,  a  Confederate  war-steamer,  arrived  at  Simon's 
Bay  yesterday,  and  the  Florida,  another  vessel  of  the  same  class, 
has  arrived,  or  is  expected  hourly  at  Saldanha  Bay,  where  she 
may  remain  a  week  without  your  knowledge,  as  the  place  is  very 
secluded.  The  Alabama  remained  here  in  Table  Bay  nearly 
four  days,  and  at  Simon's  Bay  six  days  ;  and  as  the  Tuscaloosa 
was  allowed  to  remain  at  Simon's  Bay  seven  days,  I  apprehend 
that  the  Georgia  and  Florida  will  meet  with  the  same  or  even 
greater  favours.  Under  such  circumstances  further  protests  from 
me  would  seem  to  be  unavailing,  and  I  only  put  the  facts  upon 
record  for  the  benefit  of  my  Government  and  officials  possessed 
of  diplomatic  functions. 

Mr.  Eawson  to  Mr.  Graham.     August  19,  1863. 

I  am  directed  by  the  Governor  to  acknowledge  the  receipt  of 
your  letter  of  the  17th  instant,  and  to  state  that  he  has,  during 
the  recent  transactions,  endeavoured  to  act  in  strict  conformity 
with  the  wishes  of  Her  Majesty's  Government ;  he  will  in  like 
manner  pursue  the  same  course  in  any  future  cases  which  may 
arise. 

I  am  to  add  that  His  Excellency  has  no  reason  to  be 
lieve  that  either  the  Alabama  or  the  Tuscaloosa  have  been  al 
lowed  to  remain  in  the  ports  of  the  Colony  for  a  greater  length 
of  time  than  the  state  of  the  weather,  and  the  execution  of  the 
repairs  of  which  they  actually  stood  in  need,  rendered  indispen 
sable. 

Statement  of  Joseph  Hopson. 

Joseph  Hopson,  keeper  of  the  Green  Point  Lighthouse, 
states : 

I  was  on  the  look-out  on  Wednesday  afternoon  when  the 
Alabama  and  Sea  Bride  were  coming  in.  When  I  first  saw 
them  the  steamer  was  coming  round  the  north-west  of  Robben 
Island,  and  the  barque  bore  from  or  about  five  miles  west-north 
west.  The  barque  was  coming  in  under  all  sail  with  a  good 
breeze,  and  she  took  nothing  in  when  the  gun  was  fired.  I  be 
lieve  two  guns  were  fired,  but  the  gun  I  mean  was  the  last,  and 
the  steamer  then  crossed  the  stern  side  of  the  barque,  and  hauled 
up  to  her  on  the  starboard  side.  He  steamed  ahead  gently,  and 
14 


306  APPENDIX,    NO.    VI. 

shortly  afterwards  I  saw  the  barque  put  round  with  her  head  to 
the  westward,  and  a  boat  put  off  from  the  steamer  and  boarded 
her.  Both  vessels  were  then  good  five  miles  off  the  mainland, 
and  quite  five,  if  not  six,  from  the  north-west  point  of  Robben 
Island. 

Statement  of  W.  S.  Field,  Collector  of  Customs. 

I  was  present  at  the  old  Lighthouse,  Green  Point,  on  Wed 
nesday  afternoon,  at  2  p.  M.,  and  saw  the  Alabama  capture  the 
American  barque  Sea  Bride,  and  I  agree  with  the  above  state 
ment  as  far  as  the  position  of  the  vessels  and  their  distance  from 
shore. 

I  may  also  remark  that  I  called  the  attention  of  Colonel  Bis- 
set  and  the  lighthouse  keeper  Hopson  to  the  distance  of  the  ves 
sels  at  the  time  of  the  capture,  as  it  was  probable  we  should  be 
called  upon  to  give  our  evidence  respecting  the  affair,  and  we 
took  a  note  of  the  time  it  occurred. 

Statement  of  John  Roe. 

I  was  yesterday,  the  5th  day  of  August,  1863,  returning  from 
a  whale  chase  in  Hunt's  Bay,  when  I  first  saw  the  barque 
Sea  Bride  standing  from  the  westward  on  to  the  land.  I 
came  on  to  Table  Bay,  and  when  off  Camps  Bay  I  saw  the 
smoke  of  the  Alabama  some  distance  from  the  westward  of  Rob- 
ben  Island.  When  I  reached  the  Green  Point  Lighthouse  the 
steamer  was  standing  up  towards  the  barque,  which  was  about 
five  miles  and  a  half  to  the  westward  of  Green  Point,  and 
about  four  and  half  from  the  western  point  of  Robben  Island. 
This  was  their  position  (being  near  each  other  at  the  time) 
when  the  gun  was  fired. 

Statement  of  Signalman  at  the  Lion's  Rump  Telegraph  Station. 

On  Wednesday  last,  the  5th  day  of  August,  1863,  I  sighted 
the  barque  Sea  Bride  about  seven  o'clock  in  the  morning,  about 
fifteen  or  twenty  miles  off  the  land,  standing  into  Table  Bay  from 
the  south-west.  There  was  a  light  breeze  blowing  from  the 
north-west,  which  continued  until  after  midday.  About  midday 
I  sighted  the  Alabama  screw  steamer  standing  from  due  north 
towards  Table  Bay,  intending,  as  it  appeared  to  me,  to  take 
the  passage  between  Robben  Island  and  the  Blueberg  Beach. 
She  was  then  between  fifteen  and  eighteen  miles  off  the  land. 


APPENDIX,    NO.    VI.  307 

After  sighting  the  steamer,  I  hoisted  the  demand  for  the 
barque,  when  she  hoisted  the  American  flag,  which  I  reported 
to  the  Port  Office,  the  barque  then  being  about  eight  miles 
off  the  land  from  Irville  Point.  No  sooner  had  the  barque  hoist 
ed  the  American  flag  than  the  steamer  turned  sharp  round  in 
the  direction  of  and  towards  the  barque.  The  steamer  ap 
peared  at  that  time  to  have  been  about  twelve  miles  off  the  land 
from  Irville  Point,  and  about  four  or  five  miles  outside  of  Rob- 
ben  Island,  and  about  seven  miles*from  the  barque. 

The  steamer  then  came  up  to  and  alongside  of  the  barque, 
when  the  latter  was  good  four  miles  off  the  land  at  or  near  the 
old  Lighthouse,  and  five  miles  off  the  Island.  The  steamer,  af 
ter  firing  a  gun,  stopped  the  further  progress  of  the  barque,  sev 
eral  boats  were  sent  to  her,  and  after  that  the  barque  stood  out 
to  sea  again,  and  the  Alabama  steamed  into  Table  Bay. 

Captain  Forsyth  to  Sir  P.  Wodehouse.     August  6,  1863. 

In  compliance  with  the  request  conveyed  to  me  by  your 
Excellency,  I  have  the  honor  to  report  that  I  hare  obtained 
from  Captain  Semmes  a  statement  of  the  positions  of  the  Con 
federate  States  steamer  Alabama  and  the  American  barque  Sea 
Bride,  when  the  latter  was  captured  yesterday  afternoon. 

Captain  Semmes  asserts  that  at  the  time  of  his  capturing  the 
Sea  Bride,  Green  Point  Lighthouse  bore  from  the  Alabama 
south-east  about  six  or  six  and  a  half  miles. 

This  statement  is  borne  out  by  the  evidence  of  Captain  Wil 
son,  Port  Captain  of  Table  Bay,  who  has  assured  me  that  at 
the  time  of  the  Sea  Bride  being  captured,  he  was  off  Green  Point 
in  the  port  boat,  and  that  only  the  top  of  the  Alabama's  hull 
was  visible. 

I  am  of  opinion,  if  Captain  Wilson  could  only  see  that  por 
tion  of  the  hull  of  the  Alabama,  she  must  have  been  about  the 
distance  fr&m.  the  shore  which  is  stated  by  Captain  Semmes,  and 
I  have  therefore  come  to  the  conclusion  that  the  barque  Sea 
Bride  was  beyond  the  limits  assigned  when  she  was  captured  by 
the  Alabama. 

Rear- Admiral  Sir  B.  Walker  to  the  Secretary  to  the  Admiralty. 
September  17,  1863. 

With  reference  to  my  letters  dated  respectively  the  19th  and 
31st  ultimo,  relative  to  the  Confederate  States  ship  of  war  Ala 
bama,  and  the  prizes  captured  by  her,  I  beg  to  inclose,  for  their 


308 

Lordships'  information,  the  copy  of  a  statement  forwarded  to 
me  by  the  Collector  of  Customs  at  Cape  Town,  wherein  it  is 
represented  that  the  Tuscaloosa  and  Sea  Bride  had  visited  Icha- 
boe,  which  is  a  dependency  of  this  Colony. 

2.  Since  the  receipt  of  the  above-mentioned  document,  the 
Alabama  arrived  at  this  anchorage  (the  16th  instant),  and  when 
Captain  Semmes  waited  on  me,  I  acquainted  him  with  the  report, 
requesting  he  would  inform  me  if  it  was  true.    I  was  glad  to  learn 
from  him  that  it  was  not  so.     He  frankly  explained  that  Che  prize 
Sea  Bride  in  the  first  place  had  put  into   Saldanha  Bay  through 
stress  of  weather,  and  on  being  joined  there  by  the  Tuscaloosa, 
both  vessels  proceeded  to  Angra  Pequena,  on  the  West  Coast  of 
Africa,  where  he  subsequently  joined  them  in  the  Alabama,  and 
there  sold  the  Sea  Bride  and  her  cargo  to  an  English  subject 
who  resides  at  Cape  Town.     The  Tuscaloosa  had  landed  some 
wool  at  Angra  Pequena  and  received  ballast,  but,  he  states,  is 
still  iff  commission  as  a  tender.     It  will,  therefore,  be  seen  how 
erroneous  is  the  accompanying  report.     I  have  no  reason  to 
doubt  Captain  Semmes'  explanation ;  but  he  seems  to  be  fully 
alive  to  -the  instructions  of  Her  Majesty's  Government,  and  ap 
pears  to  be  most  anxious  not  to  commit  any  breach  of  neutrality. 

3.  The  Alabama  has  returned  to  this  port  for  coal,  some 
provisions,  and  to  repair  her  condensing  apparatus. 

4.  From  conversation  with  Captain  Semmes,  I  find  that  he 
has  been  off  this  Cape  for  the  last  fjve  days,  and  as  the  Vander- 
bilt  left  this  on  the  night  of  the  llth  instant,  it  is  surprising  they 
did  not  see  each  other. 

TJie  Duke  of  Newcastle  to  Sir  P.    Wodehouse. 
November  4,  1863. 

I  have  received  your  despatch  of  the  19th  August  last,  sub 
mitting  for  my  consideration  various  questions  arising  out  of 
the  proceedings  at  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope  of  the  Confederate 
vessels  Georgia,  Alabama,  and  her  reputed  tender,  the  Tusca 
loosa. 

I  will  now  proceed  to  convey  to  you  the  views  of  Her 
Majesty's  Government  on  these  questions. 

The  capture  of  the  Sea  Bride,  by  the  Alabama,  is  stated  to 
have  been  effected  beyond  the  distance  of  three  miles  from  the 
shore — which  distance  must  be  accepted  as  the  limit  of  territorial 
jurisdiction,  according  to  the  present  rule  of  international  law 
upon  that  subject.  It  appears,  however,  that  the  prize,  very 


APPENDIX,   NO.    VI.  309 

soon  after  her  capture,  was  brought  within  the  distance  of  two 
miles  from  the  shore  ;  and  as  this  is  contrary  to  Her  Majesty's 
orders,  it  might  have  afforded  just  grounds  (if  the  apology  of 
Captain  Semmes  for  this  improper  act,  which  he  ascribed  to  in 
advertence,  had  not  been  accepted  by  you)  for  the  interference 
of  the  colonial  authorities  upon  the  principles  which  I  am  about 
to  explain. 

With  respect  to  the  Alabama  herself,  it  is  clear  that  neither 
you  nor  any  other  authority  at  the  Cape  could  exercise  any  juris 
diction  over  her  ;  and  that,  whatever  may  have  been  her  previous 
history,  you  were  bound  to  treat  her  as  a  ship  of  war  belonging 
to  a  belligerent  Power. 

With  regard  to  the  vessel  called  the  Tuscaloosa,  I  am  ad 
vised  that  this  vessel  did  not  lose  the  character  of  a  prize  cap 
tured  by  the  Alabama,  merely  because  she  was,  at  the  time  of 
her  being  brought  within  British  waters,  armed  with  two  small 
rifled  guns,  in  charge  of  an  officer,  and  manned  with  a  crew  of 
ten  men  from  the  Alabama,  and  used  as  a  tender  to  that  vessel 
under  the  authority  of  Captain  Semmes. 

It  would  appear  that  the  Tuscaloosa  is  a  barque  of  500  tons, 
captured  by  the  Alabama,  off  the  coast  of  Brazil,  on  the  21st  of 
June  last,  and  brought  into  Simon's  Bay  on  or  before  the  7th  of 
August,  with  her  original  cargo  of  wool  (itself,  as  well  as  the 
vessel,  prize)  still  on  board,  and  with  nothing  to  give  her  a 
warlike  character  (so  far  as  is  stated  in  the  papers  before  me), 
except  the  circumstances  already  noticed. 

Whether,  in  the  case  of  a  vessel  duly  commissioned  as  a  ship 
of  war,  after  being  made  prize  by  a  belligerent  Government, 
without  being  first  brought  infra  prcesidia,  or  condemned  by  a 
court  of  prize,  the  character  of  prize,  within  the  meaning  of 
Her  Majesty's  orders,  would  or  would  not  be  merged  in  that  of 
a  national  ship  of  war,  I  am  not  called  upon  to  explain.  It  is 
enough  to  say  that  the  citation  from  Mr.  Wheaton's  book  by 
your  attorney-general  does  not  appear  to  me  to  have  any  direct 
bearing  upon  the  question. 

Connected  with  this  subject  is  the  question  as  to  the  cargoes 
of  captured  vessels,  which  is  alluded  to  at  the  end  of  your  de 
spatch.  On  this  point  I  have  to  instruct  you  that  Her  Majesty's 
orders  apply  as  much  to  prize  cargoes  of  every  kind  which  may 
be  brought  by  any  armed  ships  or  privateers  of  either  belligerent 
into  British  waters  as  to  the  captured  vessels  themselves.  They 
do  not,  however,  apply  to  any  articles  which  may  have  formed 
part  of  any  such  cargoes,  if  brought  within  British  jurisdiction, 


310 

not  by  armed  ships  or  privateers  of  either  belligerent,  but  by 
other  persons  who  may  have  acquired  or  may  claim  property  in 
them  by  reason  of  any  dealings  with  the  captors. 

I  think  it  right  to  observe  that  the  third  reason  alleged  by 
the  attorney-general  for  his  opinion  assumes  (though  the  fact  had 
not  been  made  the  subject  of  any  inquiry)  that  "  no  means  ex 
isted  for  determining  whether  the  ship  had  or  had  not  been 
judicially  condemned  in  a  court  of  competent  jurisdiction,"  and 
the  proposition  that,  "  admitting  her  to  have  been  captured  by  a 
ship  of  war  of  the  Confederate  States,  she  was  entitled  to  refer 
Her  Majesty's  Government,  in  case  of  any  dispute,  to  the  court 
of  her  States  in  order  to  satisfy  it  as  to  her  real  character." 
This  assumption,  however,  is  not  consistent  with  Her  Majesty's 
undoubted  right  to  determine  within  her  own  territory  whether 
her  own  orders,  made  in  vindication  of  her  own  neutrality,  have 
been  violated  or  not. 

The  question  remains  what  course  ought  to  have  been  taken 
by  the  authorities  of  the  Cape — 

1st.  In  order  to  ascertain  whether  this  vessel  was,  as  alleged 
by  the  United  States  Consul,  an  uncondemned  prize  brought 
within  British  waters  in  violation  of  Her  Majesty's  neutrality ; 
and 

2dly.  What  ought  to  have  been  done  if  such  had  appeared 
to  be  really  the  fact. 

I  think  that  the  allegations  of  the  United  States  Consul  ought 
to  have  been  brought  to  the  knowledge  of  Captain  Semmes  while 
the  Tuscaloosa  was  still  within  British  waters,  and  that  he  should 
have  been  requested  to  state  whether  he  did  or  did  not  admit  the 
facts  to  be  as  alleged.  He  should  also  have  been  called  upon 
(unless  the  facts  were  admitted)  to  produce  the  Tuscaloosa's 
papers.  If  the  result  of  these  inquiries  had  been  to  prove  that 
the  vessel  was  really  an  uncondemned  prize,  brought  into 
British  waters  in  violation  of  Her  Majesty's  orders  made  for  the 
purpose  of  maintaining  her  neutrality,  I  consider  that  the  mode 
of  proceeding  in  such  circumstances,  most  consistent  with  Her 
Majesty's  dignity,  and  most  proper  for  the  vindication  of  her 
territorial  rights,  would  have  been  to  prohibit  the  exercise  of  any 
further  control  over  the  Tuscaloosa  by  the  captors,  and  to  retaini 
that  vessel  under  Her  Majesty's  control  and  jurisdiction  until 
properly  reclaimed  by  her  original  owners. 


APPENDIX,    NO.    VI.  311 

Sir  P.    Wodeliouse  to  the  Duke  of  Newcastle. 
December  19,  1863. 

I  have  had  the  honour  to  receive  your  Grace's  despatch  of 
the  4th  ultimo,  from  which  I  regret  to  learn  that  the  course  taken 
here  relative  to  the  Confederate  war  steamer  Alabama  and  her 
prizes  has  not  in  some  respects  given  satisfaction  to  Her 
Majesty's  Government. 

I  must  only  beg  your  Grace  to  believe  that  no  pains  were 
spared  by  the  late  Acting  Attorney-General  or  by  myself  to  shape 
our  course  in  what  we  believed  to  be  conformity  with  the  orders 
of  Her  Majesty's  Government  and  the  rules  of  international  law, 
as  far  as  we  could  ascertain  and  interpret  them. 

Mr.  Denyssen  has  been  so  constantly  engaged  with  profes 
sional  business  since  the  arrival  of  the  mail  that  I  have  been 
prevented  from  discussing  with  him  the  contents  of  your  despatch  ; 
but  I  think  it  right,  nevertheless,  to  take  advantage  of  the  first 
opportunity  for  representing  to  your  Grace  the  state  of  uncer 
tainty  in  which  I  am  placed  by  the  receipt  of  this  communica 
tion,  and  for  soliciting  such  further  explanations  as  may  prevent 
my  again  falling  into  error  on  these  matters.  In  so  doing  I  trust 
you  will  be  prepared  to  make  allowance  for  the  difficulties  which 
must  arise  out  of  this  peculiar  contest,  in  respect  of  which  both 
parties  stand  on  a  footing  of  equality  as  belligerents,  while  only 
one  of  them  is  recognized  as  a  nation. 

In  the  first  place,  I  infer  that  I  have  given  cause  for  dis 
satisfaction  in  not  having  more  actively  resented  the  fact  that 
the  Sea  Bride,  on  the  day  after  her  capture,  was  brought  a 
short  distance  within  British  waters. 

Your  Grace  demurs  to  my  having  accepted  Captain  Semmes' 
apology  for  this  improper  act,  which  he  ascribed  to  inadvertence. 
You  will  pardon  my  noticing  that  the  fact  of  the  act  having  been 
done  through  inadvertence  was  established  by  the  United  States 
Consul  himself,  one  of  whose  witnesses  stated,  u  the  officer  in 
command  of  the  barque  came  on  deck  about  that  time,  and 
stamping  his  foot  as  if  chagrined  to  find  her  so  near  the  land, 
ordered  her  further  off,  which  was  done  immediately." 

I  confess  that  on  such  evidence  of  such  a  fact  I  did  not  con 
sider  myself  warranted  in  requiring  the  commander  of  Her 
Majesty's  ship  Valorous  to  take  possession  of  the  Alabama's 
prize. 

The  questions  involved  in  the  treatment  of  the  Tuscaloosa 
are  far  more  important  and  more  embarrassing ;  and  first  let 


312  APPENDIX,    NO.    VI. 

me  state,  with  reference  to  the  suggestion  that  Captain  Semmes 
should  have  been  required  to  admit  or  deny  the  allegations  of 
the  United  States  Consul,  that  no  such  proceeding  was  required. 
There  was  not  the  slightest  mystery  or  concealment  of  the  cir 
cumstances  under  which  the  Tuscaloosa  had  come  into,  and  then 
was  in  possession  of  the  Confederates.  The  facts  were  not  dis 
puted.  We  were  required  to  declare  what  was  her  actual  status 
under  those  facts.  We  had  recourse  to  Wheaton,  the  best  au 
thority  on  International  Law  within  our  reach — an  authority 
of  the  nation  with  whom  the  question  had  arisen — an  authority 
which  the  British  Secretary  for  Foreign  Affairs  had  recently 
been  quoting  in  debates  on  American  questions  in  the  House  of 
Lords. 

Your  Grace  intimates  that  the  citation  from  this  authority  by 
the  Acting  Attorney-General  does  not  appear  to  have  any  direct 
bearing  upon  the  question. 

You  will  assuredly  believe  that  it  is  not  from  any  want  of 
respect  for  your  opinion,  but  solely  from  a  desire  to  avoid 
future  error,  that  I  confess  my  inability  to  understand  this 
intimation,  or,  in  the  absence  of  instructions  on  that  head,  to 
see  in  what  direction  I  am  to  look  for  the  law  bearing  on  the 
subject. 

The  paragraph  cited  made  no  distinction  between  a  vessel 
with  cargo  and  a  vessel  without  cargo  ;  and  your  Grace  leaves 
me  in  ignorance  whether  her  character  would  have  been  changed 
if  Captain  Semmes  had  got  rid  of  the  cargo  before  claiming  for 
her  admission  as  a  ship  of  war.  Certainly,  acts  had  been  done 
by  him  which,  according  to  Wheaton,  constituted  a  u  setting  forth 
as  a  vessel  of  war." 

Your  Grace  likewise  states,  "  Whether  in  the  case  of  a  ves 
sel  duly  commissioned  as  a  ship  of  war,  after  being  made  prize 
by  a  belligerent  Government  without  being  first  brought  infra 
prcesidia,  or  condemned  by  a  Court  of  Prize,  the  character  of 
prize,  within  the  meaning  of  Her  Majesty's  orders,  would  or 
would  not  be  merged  in  a  national  ship  of  war,  I  am  not  called 
upon  to  explain." 

I  feel  myself  forced  to  ask  for  further  advice  on  this  point, 
on  which  it  is  quite  possible  I  may  be  called  upon  to  take  an 
active  part.  I  have  already,  in  error  apparently,  admitted  a 
Confederate  prize  as  a  ship  of  war.  The  chief  authority  on  In 
ternational  Law,  in  which  it  is  in  my  power  to  refer,  is  Wheaton, 
who  apparently  draws  no  distinction  between  ships  of  war  and 
other  ships  when  found  in  the  position  of  prizes ;  and  I  wish 


313 

your  Grace  to  be  aware  that  within  the  last  few  days  the  com 
mander  of  a  United  States  ship  of  war  observed  to  me  that  if  it 
were  his  good  fortune  to  capture  the  Alabama,  he  should  convert 
her  into  a  Federal  cruiser. 

I  trust  your  Grace  will  see  how  desirable  it  is  that  I  should 
be'fully  informed  of  the  views  of  Her  Majesty's  Government  on 
these  points,  and  that  I  shall  be  favoured  with  a  reply  to  this 
despatch  at  your  earliest  convenience. 

Rear-Admiral  Sir  B.  Walker  to  the  Secretary  to  the  Admiralty. 
January  5,  1864. 

I  request  you  will  be  pleased  to  acquaint  my  Lords  Commis 
sioners  of  the  Admiralty  that  the  barque  called  the  Tuscaloosa, 
under  the  flag  of  the  Confederate  States  of  North  America  (re 
ferred  to  in  my  letter  of  the  19th  of  August  last),  termed  a  ten 
der  to  the  Alabama,  returned  to  this  anchorage  on  the  26th 
ultimo  from  cruising  off  the  coast  of  Brazil. 

2.  In  order  to  ascertain  the  real  character  of  this  vessel,  I 
directed  the  boarding  officer  from  my  flag-ship  to  put  the  ques 
tions,  as  per  inclosure  No.  1,  to  the  officer  in  command,  Lieu 
tenant  Low,  of  the  Alabama  ;  and  having  satisfied  myself  from 
his  answers  that  the  vessel  was  still  an  uncondemned  prize  cap 
tured  by  the  Alabama  under  the  name  of  the  Conrad,  of  Phila 
delphia,  I  communicated  the  circumstances  to  the  Governor  of 
this  Colony,  who,  concurring  in  opinion  with  me  that  she  ought1 
to  be  retained  under  Her  Majesty's  control  and  jurisdiction  until 
reclaimed  by  her  proper  owners,  for  violation  of  Her  Majesty's 
orders  for  the  maintenance  of  her  neutrality,  I  caused  the  so- 
called  Tuscaloosa  to  be  taken  possession  of;  informing  Lieuten 
ant  Low,  at  the  same  time,  of  the  reason  for  doing  so. 

3.  Lieutenant  Low  has  entered  a  written  protest  against  the 
seizure  of  the  vessel,  a  copy  of  which,  together  with  the  reply  of 
the  Governor,  I  inclose  for  their  Lordships'  information,  as  well  as 
a  copy  of  all  the  correspondence  which  has  passed  on  this  subject. 

4.  Lieutenant  Low  having  informed  me  that  he  expects  the 
Alabama  shortly  to  arrive  at  this  place,  I  have  allowed  him  and 
his  crew  to  remain  on  board  the  Conrad  for  the  present ;  but 
should  the  Alabama  not  make  her  appearance  I  have  acquainted 
him  that  I  will  grant  him  and  his  officers  (probably  only  one  be 
sides  himself)  a  passage  to  England  in  one  of  the  packets.     The 
crew  he  wishes  to  discharge  if  there  is  no  opportunity  of  their 
rejoining  the  Alabama. 

14* 


314 

5.  The  vessel  in  question  is  at  present  moored  in  this  bay, 
in  charge  of  an  officer  and  a  few  men  belonging  to  Her  Majes 
ty's  ship  Narcissus,  where  she  will  remain  until  she  can  be 
properly  transferred  to  her  lawful  owners,'  as  requested  by  the 
Governor.  •• 

Questions  to  be  put  to  the  Officer  in  Command  or  Charge  of  the  barque 
Tuscaloosa,  carrying  the  Flag  of  the  so-called  Confederate  States  of 
America. 

Ship's  name  and  nation? — Tuscaloosa.     Confederate. 

Name  and  rank  of  officer  in  command? — Lieutenant  Low, 
late  Alabama. 

Tonnage  of  the  ship  ? — 500. 

Number  of  officers  and  men  on  board  ? — 4  officers  and  20  men. 

Number  and  description  of  guns  on  board? — 3  small  brass 
guns,  2  rifled  12-pounders,  1  smooth-bore  -pounder. 

Where  is  she  from? — St.  Katherine's,  Brazils. 

Where  is  she  bound  ? — Cruising. 

For  what  purpose  has  the  ship  put  into  this  port  ? — For  re 
pairs  and  supplies. 

Is  it  the  same  ship  that  was  captured  by  the  Alabama,  and 
afterwards  came  to  this  port  on  the  9th  of  August  last  ? — Yes. 

What  was  her  original  name,  on  being  captured  by  the  Ala 
bama  ?— -Conrad,  of  Philadelphia. 

When  was  she  captured  by  Alabama? — 21st  June,  1863. 

To  what  nation  and  to  whom  did  she  belong  before  her  cap 
ture  ? — Federal  States  of  America. 

Has  she  been  taken  before  any  legally  constituted  Admiralty 
Court  of  the  Confederate  States  ? — No. 

Has  she  been  duly  condemned  as  a  lawful  prize  by  such 
Court  to  the  captors  ? — rNo. 

What  is  she  now  designated  ? — Tender  to  the  Alabama.        ^ 

What  papers  are  there  on  board  to  constitute  her  as  the  Con 
federate  barque  Tuscaloosa  ? — The  commission  of  the  Lieutenant 
commanding  the  Tuscaloosa  from  Captain  Semmes.  The  offi 
cers  also  have  commissions  to  their  ship  from  him. 

Are  the  papers  which  belonged  to  her  before  she  was  seized 
by  the  Alabama  on  board  ? — No. 

Is  there  any  cargo  on  board,  and  what  does  it  consist  of? — 
No  cargo— only  stores  for  ballast. 

(Signed)  JOHN  LOW, 

Lieut. -Commander,  Confederate  States  barque  Tuscaloosa. 
(Signed)  FRANCIS  L.  WOOD, 

Lieutenant  and  Boarding  Officer,  Her  Majesty's  ship  Narcissus. 


315 


Eear-Admiral  Sir  B.  Walker  to  Lieutenant  Low,  C.S.N. 
December  27,  1863. 

As  it  appears  that  the  Tuscaloosa,  under  your  charge  and 
command,  is  a  vessel  belonging  to  the  Federal  States  of  Ameri 
ca,  having  been  captured  by  the  Confederate  States  ship  of  war 
Alabama,  and  not  having  been  adjudicated  before  any  competent 
Prize  Court,  is  still  an  uncondemned  prize,  which  you  have 
brought  into  this  port  in  violation  of  Her  Britannic  Majesty's 
orders  for  the  maintenance  of  her  neutrality,  I  have  the  honour 
to  inform  you  that,  in  consequence,  I  am  compelled  to  detain 
the  so-called  Tuscaloosa  (late  Conrad)  with  a  view  of  her  being 
restored  to  her  original  owners,  and  I  request  you  will  be  so 
good  as  to  transfer  the  charge  of  the  vessel  to  the  officer  bearing 
this  letter  to  you. 

Eear-Admiral  Sir  B.  Walker  to   Sir  P.  Wodehouse.     December 

28,  1863. 

I  have  the  honour  to  inform  your  Excellency  that,  acting 
upon  your  concurrence  in  my  opinion  with  reference  to  the  in 
structions  received  from  home  by  the  last  mail,  I  have  detained 
the  barque  Tuscaloosa  (late  Conrad  of  Philadelphia),  because 
she  is  an  uncondemned  prize,  taken  by  the  Confederate  States 
ship  of  war  Alabama,  and  brought  into  British  waters  in  viola 
tion  of  Her  Majesty's  Orders  for  maintaining  her  neutrality, 
and  with  the  view  to  her  being  restored  to  her  original  owners. 

I  shall  be.  ready  to  hand  her  over  to  the  Consul  of  the 
United  States  at  Cape  Town,  or  to  any  person  you  may  appoint 
to  take  charge  of  her. 

I  should  add  that  Lieutenant  Low  has  given  up  the  Tusca 
loosa  (late  Conrad)  under  protest,  which  he  is  about  to  make 
in  writing,  a  copy  of  which  shall  be  transmitted  to  your  Excel 
lency  as  soon  as  received. 

Lieutenant  Low,  C.S.N.,  to  Sir  P.  Wodehouse.     December  28, 

1863 

As  the  officer  in  command  of  the  Confederate  States  ship 
Tuscaloosa,  tender  to  the  Confederate  States  steamer  Alabama, 
I  have  to  record  my  protest  against  the  recent  extraordinary 
measures  which  have  been  adopted  towards  me  and  the  vessel 
under  my  command  by  the  British  authorities  of  this  Colony. 

In  August  last  the  Tuscaloosa  arrived  in  Simon's  Bay.     She; 


316  APPENDIX,   NO.    VI. 

was  not  only  recognised  in  the  character  which  she  lawfully 
claimed  and  still  claims  to  be,  viz.,  a  commissioned  ship  of  war 
belonging  to  a  belligerent  Power,  but  was  allowed  to  remain  in 
the  harbour  for  the  period  of  seven  days,  taking  in  supplies  and 
effecting  repairs  with  the  full  knowledge  and  sanction  of  the 
authorities. 

No  intimation  was  given  that  she  was  regarded  in  the  light 
of  an  ordinary  prize,  or  that  she  was  considered  to  be  violating 
the  laws  of  neutrality.  Nor,  when  she  notoriously  left  for  a 
cruise  on  active  service,  was  any  intimation  whatever  conveyed 
that  on  her  return  to  the  port  of  a  friendly  Power,  where  she 
had  been  received  as  a  man-of-war,  she  wtmld  be  regarded  as  a 
"  prize,"  as  a  violater  of  the  Queen's  proclamation  of  neutral 
ity,  and  consequently  liable  to  seizure.  Misled  by  the  conduct 
of  Her  Majesty's  Government,  I  returned  to  Simon's  Bay  on 
the  26th  instant,  in  very  urgent  want  of  repairs  and  supplies ; 
to  my  surprise  I  find  the  Tuscaloosa  is  now  no  longer  consid 
ered  as  a  man-of-war,  and  she  has  by  your  orders,  as  I  learn, 
been  seized  for  the  purpose  qf  being  handed  over  to  the  person 
who  claims  her  on  behalf  of  her  late  owners. 

The  character  of  the  vessel,  viz.,  that  of  a  lawful  commis 
sioned  man-of-war  of  the  Confederate  States  of  America,  has 
not  been  altered  since  her  first  arrival  in  Simon's  Bay,  and  she, 
having  been  once  fully  recognised  by  the  British  authorities  in 
command  in  this  Colony,  and  no  notice  or  warning  of  change 
of  opinion  or  of  friendly  feeling  having  been  communicated  by 
public  notification  or  otherwise.  I  was  entitled  to  expect  to  be 
again  permitted  to  enter  Simon's  Bay  without  molestation. 

In  perfect  good  faith  I  returned  to  Simon's  Bay  for  mere 
necessaries,  and  in  all  honour  and  good  faith,  in  return,  I  should 
on  change  of  opinion  or  of  policy  on  the  part  of  the  British  au 
thorities,  have  been  desired  to  leave  the  port  again. 

But  by  the  course  of  proceedings  taken,  I  have  been  (sup 
posing  the  view  now  taken  by  your  Excellency's  Government  to 
be  correct)  first  misled  and  next  entrapped. 

My  position  and  character  of  my  ship  will  most  certainly  be 
vindicated  by  my  Government.  I  am  powerless  to  resist  the 
affront  offered  to  the  Confederate  States  of  America  by  your 
Excellency's  conduct  and  proceedings. 

I  demand,  however,  the  release  of  my  ship ;  and  if  this  de 
mand  be  not  promptly  complied  with,  I  hereby  formally  protest 
against  her  seizure,  especially  under  the  very  peculiar  circum 
stances  of  the  case. 


317 


Mr.  Eawson  to  Lieutenant  Low,  G.S.N.     December  29,  1863. 

I  am  directed  by  the  Governor  to  acknowledge  the  receipt 
of  your  letter  of  yesterday's  date  protesting  against  the  seizure 
of  the  Tuscaloosa,  whose  character  you  represent  to  be  the 
same  as  when,  in  August  last,  she  was  admitted  into  the  port 
of  Simon's  Bay,  and  I  am  to  acquaint  you  in  reply  that  a  full 
report  was  submitted  to  Her  Majesty's  Government  of  all  that 
took  place  on  the  first  visit  of  the  Tuscaloosa,  and  that  the  seiz 
ure  has  now  been  made  in  conformity  with  the  opinion  ex 
pressed  by  them  on  that  report. 

Your  protest  will  of  course  be  transmitted  for  their  consid 
eration. 

Bear-Admiral  Sir  B.  Walker  to  Sir  P.  Wodehouse.     December 

29,  1863. 

Lieutenant  Low,  the  officer  belonging  to  the  Confederate 
States  ship  of  war  Alabama,  late  in  charge  of  the  barque  called 
the  Tuscaloosa  (properly  the  Conrad  of  Philadelphia),  having 
sent  me  a  copy  of  the  protest  which  he  has  forwarded  to  your 
Excellency  against  the  detention  of  that  vessel,  I  think  it  right 
to  inclose  for  your  information  the  copy  of  my  letter  to  Lieu 
tenant  Low  *  explaining  the  circumstances  under  which  the  so- 
called  Tuscaloosa  is  detained. 

Sir  P.  Wodelwuse  to  the  Duke  of  Newcastle.     January  11,  1864. 

I  very  much  regret  having  to  acquaint  your  Grace  that  the 
Confederate  prize  vessel  the  Tuscaloosa  has  again  entered  Si 
mon's  Bay,  and  that  the  Naval  Commander-in-chief  and  myself 
have  come  to  the  conclusion  that,  in  obedience  to  the  orders  trans 
mitted  to  his  Excellency  by  the  Admiralty,  and  to  me  by  your 
Grace's  despatch  of  the  4th  November  last,  it  was  our  duty  to 
take  possession  of  the  vessel,  and  to  hold  her  until  properly 
claimed  by  her  original  owners.  The  Admiral,  therefore,  sent 
an  officer  with  a  party  of  men  from  the  flag-ship  to  take  charge 
of  her,  and  to  deliver  to  her  commander  a  letter  in  explanation 
of  the  act.  Copies  of  his  protest,  addressed  to  me,  and  of  my 
reply,  are  inclosed.  He  not  unnaturally  complains  of  having 
been  now  seized,  after  he  had  on  the  previous  occasion  been 
recognised  as  a  ship  of  war.  But  this  is  manifestly  nothing 
more  than  the  inevitable  result  of  the  overruling  by  Her  Majes- 

*  This  letter  is  not  given  in  the  Blue  Book. 


318  .       APPENDIX,    NO.    VI. 

ty's  Government  of  the  conclusion  arrived  at  on  the  previous 
occasion  by  its  subordinate  officer. 

The  Consul  for  the  United  States,  on  being  informed  of  what 
had  taken  place,  intimated  his  inability  to  take  charge  of  the 
ship  on  account  of  the  owners,  and  expressed  a  desire  that  it 
should  remain  in  our  charge  until  he  was  put  in  possession  of 
the  requisite  authority.  Accordingly,  after  taking  the  opinion 
of  the  Attorney-General,  it  was  arranged  that  the  vessel  should 
remain  in  the  charge  of  Sir  Baldwin  Walker. 

I  ought  to  explain  that  the  seizure  was  made  without  pre 
vious  reference  to  the  Attorney-General.  I  did  not  consider 
such  a  reference  necessary.  The  law  had  been  determined  by 
Her  Majesty's  Government  on  the  previous  case.  The  Admiral 
was  of  opinion  that  we  had  only  to  obey  the  orders  we  had  re 
ceived,  and  on  his  intimating  that  opinion  I  assented. 

Your  Grace  will  observe  that  at  the  request  of  the  officers 
of  the  Tuscaloosa  the  Admiral  has  permitted  them  to  remain  on 
board,  in  expectation  of  the  immediate  arrival  of  the  Alabama, 
to  which  ship  they  wish  to  return.  I  should  otherwise  have 
thought  it  my  duty  to  provide  them  with  passages  to  England  at 
the  cost  of  Her  Majesty's  Government,  by  whom,  I  conclude, 
they  would  be  sent  to  their  own  country ;  and  it  is  probable 
that  if  the  Alabama  should  not  soon  make  her  appearance,  such 
an  arrangement  will  become  necessary. 

I  have  only  to  add  that  I  have  thought  it  advisable,  after 
what  has  now  occurred,  to  intimate  to  the  United  States  Consul 
that  we  should  probably  be  under  the  necessity  of  adopting  sim 
ilar  measures  in  the  event  of  an  uncondemned  prize  being  fitted 
for  cruising,  and  brought  into  one  of  our  ports  by  a  Federal 
ship  of  war.  I  did  not  speak  positively,  because  I  have  been 
left  in  doubt  by  your  Grace's  instructions  whether  some  distinc 
tion  should  not  be  drawn  in  the  case  of  a  ship  of  war  of  one 
belligerent  captured  and  applied  to  the  same  use  by  the  other 
belligerent,  but  the  Consul  was  evidently  prepared  for  such  a 
step.  Copies  of  all  the  correspondence  are  inclosed. 

Mr.  Eawson  to  Mr.  Graham.     December  28,  1863. 

I  am  directed  by  the  Governor  to  acquaint  you  that  the 
Tuscaloosa  having  again  arrived  in  Simon's  Bay,  will,  under 
instructions  lately  received  from  Her  Majesty's  Government,  be 
retained  under  Her  Majesty's  control  and  jurisdiction  until  prop 
erly  reclaimed  by  her  original  holders. 


319 


Mr.  Graham  to  Sir  P.  Wodehouse.     December  28,  1863. 

I  have  to  acknowlege  the  receipt  of  your  letter  of  yesterday's 
date  in  reference  to  the  Tuscaloosa. 

By  virtue  of  my  office  as  Consul  for  the  United  States  of 
America  in  the  British  possessions  of  South  Africa,  of  which  na 
tion  the  original  owners  of  the  Conrad  alias  Tuscaloosa  are  cit 
izens,  I  possess  the  right  to  act  for  them  when  both  they  and 
their  special  agents  are  absent.  I  can  institute  a  proceeding  in 
rem  where  the  rights  of  property  of  fellow-citizens  are  concerned, 
without  a  special  procuration  from  those  for  whose  benefit  I  act, 
but  cannot  receive  actual  restitution  of  the  res  in  controversy, 
without  a  special  authority.  (See  United  States  Statutes  at 
Large,  vol.  i.,  p.  254,  notes  2  and  3.) 

Under  these  circumstances  I  am  content  that  the  vessel  in 
question  should  for  the  present,  or  until  the  properly  authenticat 
ed  papers  and  power  of  attorney  shall  be  received  from  the  own 
ers  in  America,  remain  in  possession  and  charge  of  Her  Majes 
ty's  naval  officers.  But  should  it  hereafter  be  determined  to  give 
the  vessel  up  to  any  party  other  than  the  real  owners,  I  desire  to 
have  sufficient  notice  of  the  fact,  so  that  I  may  take  the  proper 
steps  to  protect  the  interests  of  my  absent  fellow-citizens. 

With  regard  to  the  property  of  American  citizens  seized  here 
at  the  Custom-house,  and  which  was  formerly  part  of  the  Sea 
Bride's  cargo,  I  would  suggest  that  it  also  be  held  by  the  Colo 
nial  Government,  subject  to  the  order  of  the  original  owners. 
An  announcement  to  that  effect  from  you  would  be  received  with 
great  satisfaction  by  me. 

Lieutenant  Low,  C.S.N.,  to  Sir  P.  Wodehouse. 
January  14,  1864. 

I  beg  to  acknowledge  the  receipt  of  your  letter  of  yesterday, 
in  which  I  am  informed  that  it  is  your  Excellency's  intention  to 
request  the  Naval  Commander-in-chief  to  allow  the  arms  and 
ammunition  belonging  to  the  Confederate  States  to  be  stored  in 
the  dockyard  at  Simon's  Town. 

Whilst  thanking  your  Excellency  for  this  intention,  I  beg  to 
state  that  as  these  were  placed  in  my  charge  by  Captain  Semmes, 
of  the  Confederate  steamship  Alabama,  I  should  prefer  handing 
them  to  his  agents  in  this  Colony,  to  be  stored  by  them  under 
the  usual  Customs  regulations  until  instructions  can  be  received 
as  to  their  disposal,  and  would  respectfully  solicit  your  Excel- 


320  APPENDIX,   NO.    VI. 

lency's  permission  to  have  them  landed,  as  I  purpose  leaving  for 
England  by  the  next  mail-steamer. 

I  have  further  to  thank  your  Excellency  on  behalf  of  the  of 
ficers  of  the  Tuscaloosa  for  your  offer  of  assistance  on  leaving 
the  Colony,  and  to  state  they  hare  already  made  their  arrange 
ments. 

Mr.  Bawson  to  Lieutenant  Low.     January  18,  1864. 

I  am  directed  by  the  Governor  to  acknowledge  the  receipt  of 
your  letter  of  the  14th  instant,  and  to  state  that  on  full  consid 
eration  of  the  case  he  thinks  it  advisable  to  adhere  to  the  proposal 
already  made,  that  the  guns  and  other  property  alleged  to  belong 
to  the  Alabama  should  be  placed  in  the  dockyard  at  Simon's 
Town.  They  will  then  be  subject  to  such  orders  as  Her  Majes 
ty's  Government  may  be  pleased  to  make  in  the  matter. 

I  am  also  to  transmit  to  you,  for  your  information,  copies  of 
a  letter  which  has  been  received  from  the  Consul  of  the  United 
States,  and  of  the  reply  given  to  it  by  His  Excellency's  direc 
tions. 

Mr.  Graham  to  Sir  P.  Wodehouse.     January  16,  1864. 

The  report  of  J.  M.  Hoets,  Esquire,  on  the  Tuscaloosa,  coun 
tersigned  by  Lieutenant  Kennedy  of  the  Narcissus,  has  been  re 
ceived,  and  a  copy  furnished  to  Admiral  Walker.  Appended 
to  that  report  is  a  list  of  articles  claimed  by  Lieutenant  Low  of 
the  Tuscaloosa  as  belonging  to  the  Confederate  steamer  Alaba 
ma.  Now,  among  the  articles  enumerated  in  the  list,  are  three 
12-pounder  cannon  taken  from  the  American  ship  Talisman,  and 
one  small  brass  cannon  taken  from  the  Sea  Bride,  as  I  can  prove 
by  the  testimony  of  a  competent  witness.  These  cannon  I  re 
quest  shall  be  held  for  their  owners  in  the  same  manner  as  the 
vessel.  Not  being  able  to  identify  the  other  articles  in  this  list 
with  perfect  certainty,  I  shall  not  claim  them. 

Mr.  Rawson  to  Mr.  Graham.     January  18,  1864. 

I  am  directed  by  the  Governor  to  acknowledge  the  receipt 
of  your  letter  of  the  16th  instant,  and  to  state  that  the  guns  to 
which  you  refer  will  be  held  subject  to  such  instructions  as 
Her  Majesty's  Government  may  think  fit  to  issue  respecting 
them. 


APPENDIX,    NO.    VI.  321 

Rear-Admiral  Sir  B.  Walker  to  the  Secretary  to  the  Admiralty. 
January  18,  1864. 

With  reference  to  my  letter  of  the  5th  instant,  I  have  the 
honour  to  submit,  for  their  Lordships'  information,  a  further  cor 
respondence  between  the  Governor  of  this  Colony  and  myself 
relative  to  the  American  vessel  Conrad,  of  Philadelphia,  lately 
called  the  Tuscaloosa. 

2.  Lieutenant  Low,  belonging  to  the  Confederate  States  ship 
of  war  Alabama,  lately  in  charge  of  the  Tuscaloosa,  having  paid 
off  and  discharged  his  crew,  finally  quitted  the  vessel  on  the  9th 
instant ;  and  I  have  ordered  him  a  passage  to  England  by  the 
mail-packet  Saxon,  together  with  his  first  officer,  Mr.  Sinclair. 

3.  The  Conrad  now  remains  in  charge  of  a  warrant  officer 
and  two  ship-keepers,  awaiting  to  be  properly  claimed  or  dispos 
ed  of  as  the  Government  may  direct. 

JRear-Admiral  Sir  B.  Walker  to  Sir  P.  Wodehouse. 
January  6,  1864. 

With  reference  to  your  Excellency's  communication  of  yes 
terday's  date,  I  have  the  honour  to  inform  you  that  I  will  make 
arrangements  for  the  safe  custody  of  the  Conrad,  of  Philadelphia 
(late  Tuscaloosa) ,  by  mooring  her  in  this  bay,  and  putting  ship- 
keepers  in  charge  of  her,  until  she  can  be  properly  transferred  to 
her  lawful  owners. 

Lieutenant  Low  has  requested  to  be  allowed  to  remain  on 
board  the  vessel,  together  with  his  crew,  for  the  present,  as  he  ex 
pected  the  Alabama  to  arrive  here  shortly,  to  which  arrangement 
I  have  made  no  objection. 

There  are  some  guns  and  other  articles  on  board  the  Conrad 
said  to  belong  to  the  Alabama,  a  list  of  which  I  have  already 
forwarded  to  your  Excellency.  It  is  a  matter  for  consideration 
how  these  things  should  be  disposed  of. 

I  think,  as  a  precautionary  measure,  it  may  be  desirable  that 
some  person  on  the  part  of  the  United  States  Consul  should 
visit  the  Conrad,  to  observe  the  state  she  is  in,  on  being  taken 
into  British  custody,  to  prevent  any  question  thereon  here 
after. 

The  Duke  of  Newcastle  to  Sir  P.  Wodehouse.    March  4,  18641 

I  have  received  your  despatches  of  the  llth  and  19th  Janua 
ry,  reporting  the  circumstances  connected  with  the  seizure  of  the 


322  APPENDIX,   NO.    VI. 

Confederate  prize-vessel  Tuscaloosa,  under  the  joint  authority 
of  the  Naval  Commander-in-chief  and  yourself.  I  have  to  in 
struct  you  to  restore  the  Tuscaloosa  to  the  Lieutenant  of  the  Con 
federate  States  who  lately  commanded  her,  or,  if  he  should  have 
,  left  the  Cape,  then  to  retain  her  until  she  can  be  handed  over  to 
some  person  who  may  have  authority  from  Captain  Semmes,  of 
the  Alabama,  or  from  the  Government  of  the  Confederate  States, 
to  receive  her. 

You  will  receive  a  further  communication  from  me  on  this 
subject  by  the  next  mail. 

The  Duke  of  Newcastle  to  Sir  P.  Wodehouse.    March  10,  1864. 

In  my  despatch  of  the  4th  instant,  I  instructed  you  to  restore 
the  Tuscaloosa  to  the  Lieutenant  of  the  Confederate  States  who 
lately  commanded  her,  or,  if  he  should  have  left  the  Cape,  then 
to  retain  her  until  she  could  be  handed  over  to  some  person  hav 
ing  authority  from  Captain  Semmes,  of  the  Alabama,  or  from  the 
Government  of  the  Confederate  States,  to  receive  her. 

I  have  now  to  explain  that  this  decision  was  not  founded  on 
any  general  principle  respecting  the  treatment  of  prizes  captured 
by  the  cruisers  of  either  belligerent,  but  on  the  peculiar  circum 
stances  of  the  case.  The  Tuscaloosa  was  allowed  to  enter  the 
port  of  Cape  Town  and  to  depart,  the  instructions  of  the  4th  of 
November  not  having  arrived  at  the  Cape  before  her  departure. 
The  Captain  of  the  Alabama  was  thus  entitled  to  assume  that  he 
might  equally  bring  her  a  second  time  into  the  same  harbor,  and 
it  becomes  unnecessary  to  discuss  whether,  on  her  return  to  the 
Cape,  the  Tuscaloosa  still  retained  the  character  of  a  prize,  or 
whether  she  had  lost  that  character,  and  had  assumed  that  of  an 
armed  tender  to  the  Alabama,  and  whether  that  new  character, 
if  properly  established  and  admitted,  would  have  entitled  her  to 
the  same  privilege  of  admission  which  might  be  accorded  to  her 
captor,  the  Alabama 

Her  Majesty's  Government  have,  therefore,  come  to  the 
opinion,  founded  on  the  special  circumstances  of  this  particular 
case,  that  the  Tuscaloosa  ought  to  be  released,  with  a  warning, 
however,  to  the  Captain  of  the  Alabama,  that  the  ships  of  war 
of  the  belligerents  are  not  to  be  allowed  to  bring  prizes  into 
British  ports,  and  that  it  rests  with  Her  Majesty's  Government 
to  decide  to  what  vessels  that  character  belongs. 

In  conclusion,  I  desire  to  assure  you  that  neither  in  this  de 
spatch,  nor  in  that  of  the  4th  November,  I  have  desired  in  any 


323 

degree  to  censure  you  for  the  course  you  have  pursued.  The 
questions  on  which  you  have  been  called  upon  to  decide,  are 
questions  of  difficulty,  on  which  doubts  might  properly  have  been 
entertained,  and  I  am  by  no  means  surprised  that  the  conclusions 
to  which  you  were  led  have  not,  in  all  instances,  been  those 
which  have  been  adopted  on  fuller  consideration  by  Her 
Majesty's  Government. 

Captain    Semmes,    C.S.N.,   to  Bear-Admiral   Sir  B.    Walker, 
dated  C.  S.  S.  Alabama;  Table  Bay,  March  22,  1864. 

SIR  : — I  was  surprised  to  learn  upon  my  arrival  at  this  port 
of  the  detention  by  your  order  of  the  Confederate  States  barque 
Tuscaloosa,  a  tender  to  this  ship.  I  take  it  for  granted  that  you 
detained  her  by  order  of  the  Home  Government,  as  no  other 
supposition  is  consistent  with  my  knowledge  of  the  candour  of 
your  character — the  Tuscaloosa  having  been  formerly  received 
by  you  as  a  regularly  commissioned  tender,  and  no  new  facts 
appearing  in  the  case  to  change  your  decision.  Under  these 
circumstances  I  shall  not  demand  of  you  the  restoration  of  that 
vessel,  with  which  demand  you  would  not  have  the  power  to 
comply,  but  will  content  myself  with  putting  this  my  protest 
against  this  detention  on  the  record  of  the  case  for  the  future 
consideration  of  our  respective  Governments. 

Earl  Russell,  in  reaching  the  decision  which  he  has  commu 
nicated  to  you,  must  surely  have  misapprehended  the  facts,  other 
wise  I  cannot  conceive  him  capable  of  so  misapplying  the  law. 
The  facts  are  briefly  these  : — 1st.  The  Tuscaloosa  was  formerly 
the  enemy's  ship  Conrad,  lawfully  captured  by  me  on  the  high 
seas,  as  a  recognized  belligerent  ;  2dly.  She  was  duly  com 
missioned  by  me  as  a  tender  to  the  Confederate  States  steamer 
Alabama,  then,  as  now,  under  my  command ;  and  3dly.  She 
entered  English  waters  not  only  without  intention  of  violating 
Her  Britannic  Majesty's  orders  of  neutrality,  but  was  received 
with  hospitality,  and  no  question  was  raised  as  to  her  right  to 
enter  under  the  circumstances.  These  were  the  facts  up  to  the 
time  of  Earl  Russell's  issuing  to  you  his  order  in  the  premises. 
Let  us  consider,  then,  a  moment,  and  see  if  we  can  derive  from 
them,  or  any  of  them,  just  ground  for  the  extraordinary  decision 
to  which  Earl  Russell  has  come. 

My  right  to  capture  and  the  legality  of  the  capture  will  not 
be  denied.  Nor  will  you  deny,  in  your  experience  as  a  naval 
officer,  my  right  to  commission  this,  or  any  other  ship  lawfully 


324 

in  my  possession,  as  a  tender  to  my  principal  ship.  Your  ad 
mirals  do  this  every  day,  on  distant  stations ;  and  the  tender, 
from  the  time  of  her  being  put  in  commission,  wears  a  pennant, 
and  is  entitled  to  the  immunities  and  privileges  of  a  ship  of  war, 
the  right  of  capture  inclusive. 

Numerous  decisions  are  to  be  found  in  your  own  prize  law 
to  this  effect.  In  other  words,  this  is  one  of  the  recognised 
modes  of  commissioning  a  ship  of  war,  which  has  grown  out  of 
the  convenience  of  the  thing,  and  become  a  sort  of  naval  com 
mon  law,  as  indisputable  as  the  written  law  itself.  The  only 
difference  between  the  commission  of  such  a  ship  and  that  of  a 
ship  commissioned  by  the  sovereign  authority  at  home  is  that 
the  word  "  tender  "  appears  in  the  former  commission  and  not  in 
the  latter.  The  Tuscaloosa  having  then  been  commissioned  by 
me  in  accordance  with  the  recognised  practice  of  all  civilized 
nations  that  have  a  marine,  can  any  other  Government  than  my 
own  look  into  her  antecedents  ?  Clearly  not.  The  only  thing 
which  can  be  looked  at  upon  her  entering  a  foreign  port  is  her 
commission.  If  this  be  issued  by  competent  authority,  you  can 
not  proceed  a  step  further.  The  ship  then  becomes  a  part  of  the 
territory  of  the  country  to  which  she  belongs,  and  you  can  ex 
ercise  no  more  jurisdiction  over  her  than  over  that  territory. 
The  self-respect  and  the  independence  of  nations  require  this  ; 
for  it  would  be  a  monstrous  doctrine  to  admit  that  one  nation 
may  inquire  into  the  title  by  which  another  nation  holds  her 
ships  of  war.  And  there  can  be  no  difference  in  this  respect 
between  tenders  and  ships  originally  commissioned.  The  flag 
and  the  pennant  fly  over  them  both,  and  they  are  both  with 
drawn  from  the  local  jurisdiction  by  competent  commissions. 
On  principle  you  might  as  well  have  enquired  into  the  antece 
dents  of  the  Alabama,  as  of  the  Tuscaloosa.  Indeed,  you  had 
a  better  reason  for  inquiring  into  the  antecedents  of  the  former 
than  of  the  latter,  it  having  been  alleged  that  the  former  escaped 
from  England  in  violation  of  your  Foreign  Enlistment  Act.  Mr. 
Adams,  the  United  States  Minister,  did  in  fact  demand  that  the 
Alabama  should  be  seized,  but  Earl  Russell,  in  flat  and  most 
pointed  contradiction  of  his  late  conduct  in  the  case  of  the  Tus 
caloosa,  gave  him  the  proper  legal  reply,  to  wit :  that  the 
Alabama  being  now  a  ship  of  war,  he  was  estopped  from  looking 
into  her  antecedents.  One  illustration  will  suffice  to  show  you 
how  untenable  your  position  is  in  this  matter.  If  the  Tusca 
loosa' s  commission  be  admitted  to  have  been  issued  by  competent 
authority,  and  in  due  form  (and  I  do  not  understand  this  to  be 


APPENDIX,    NO.    VI. 

contested  except  on  the  ground  of  her  antecedents),  she  is  as 
much  a  ship  of  war  as  the  Narcissus,  your  flag-ship.  Suppose 
you  should  visit  a  French  port,  and  the  port  admiral  should  re 
quest  you  to  haul  down  your  flag  on  the  ground  that  you  had 
had  no  sufficient  title  to  the  ship  before  she  was  commissioned, 
or  that  she  was  a  contract  ship  and  you  had  not  paid  for  her, 
and  the  builder  had  a  lien  on  her,  or  that  you  had  captured  her 
from  the  Russians,  and  had  not  had  her  condemned  by  a  prize 
court,  what  would  you  think  of  the  proceeding  ?  And  how  does 
the  case  supposed  differ  from  the  one  in  hand  ?  In  both  it  is  a 
pretension  on  the  part  of  a  foreign  power  to  look  into  the  ante 
cedents  of  a  ship  of  war — neither  more  nor  less  in  the  one  case 
than  in  the  other.  I  will  even  put  the  case  stronger.  If  it  be 
admitted  that  I  had  the  right  to  commission  a  tender,  and  the 
fact  had  been  that  I  had  seized  a  French  ship  and  put  her  in 
commission,  you  could  not  inquire  into  the  fact.  You  would 
have  no  right  to  know  but  that  I  had  the  orders  of  my  Govern 
ment  for  this  seizure.  In  short,  you  would  have  no  right  to 
inquire  into  the  matter  at  all.  My  ship  being  regularly  com 
missioned,  I  am  responsible  to  my  Government  for  my  acts,  and 
my  Government,  in  the  case  supposed,  would  be  responsible  to 
France,  and  not  to  you.  If  this  reasoning  be  correct — and  with 
all  due  submission  to  his  lordship  I  think  it  is  sustained  by  the 
plainest  principles  of  the  international  code — it  follows  that  the 
condemnation  of  a  prize  in  a  prize  court  is  not  the  only  mode  of 
changing  the  character  of  a  captured  ship.  When  the  sovereign 
of  the  captor  puts  his  own  commission  on  board  such  a  ship, 
this  is  a  condemnation  in  its  most  solemn  form,  and  is  notice  to 
all  the  world.  On  principle,  if  a  ship  thus  commissioned  were 
recaptured,  the  belligerent  prize  court  could  not  restore  her  to 
her  original  owner,  but  must  condemn  her  as  a  prize  ship  of  war 
of  the  enemy  to  the  captors  ;  for  prize  courts  are  international 
courts,  and  cannot  go  behind  the  pennant  and  commission  of  the 
cruiser. 

Further,  as  to  this  question  of  adjudication,  your  letter  to 
Lieutenant  Low,  the  late  commander  of  the  Tuscaloosa,  assumes 
that,  as  the  Tuscaloosa  was  not  condemned,  she  was  therefore 
the  property  of  the  enemy  from  whom  she  had  been  taken. 
Condemnation  is  intended  for  the  benefit  of  neutrals,  and  to 
quiet  the  titles  of  purchasers,  but  is  never  necessary  as  against 
the  enemy.  His  right  is  taken  away  by  force,  and  not  by  any 
legal  process,  and  the  possession  of  his  property  manu  forte  is 
all  that  is  required  against  him. 


326  APPENDIX,    NO.    VI. 

Earl  Russell  having  decided  to  disregard  these  plain  princi 
ples  of  the  laws  of  nations,  and  to  go  behind  my  commission, 
let  us  see  what  he  next  decides. 

His  decision  is  this,  that  the  Tuscaloosa  being  a  prize,  and 
having  come  into  British  waters  in  violation  of  the  Queen's 
orders  of  neutrality,  she  must  be  restored  to  her  original  owner. 
The  ship  is  not  seized  and  condemned  for  the  violation  of  any 
municipal  law,  such  as  fraud  upon  the  revenue,  &c. — as,  indeed, 
she  could  not  be  so  seized  and  condemned  without  the  interven 
tion  of  a  court  of  law — but  by  the  strong  arm  of  executive 
power  he  wrests  my  prize  from  me,  and  very  coolly  hands  her 
over  to  the  enemy.  It  is  admitted  that  all  prizes,  like  other 
merchant  ships,  are  liable  to  seizure  and  condemnation  for  a 
palpable  violation  of  the  municipal  law  ;  but  that  is  not  this  case. 
The  whole  thing  is  done  under  the  international  law.  Now, 
there  is  no  principle  better  established  than  that  neutrals  have 
no  right  to  interfere  in  any  manner  between  the  captor  and  his 
prize,  except  in  one  particular  instance,  and  that  is  where  the 
prize  has  been  captured  in  neutral  waters  and  afterwards  comes 
of  her  own  accord  within  the  neutral  jurisdiction.  In  that  case, 
and  in  that  case  alone,  the  neutral  prize  court  may  adjudicate 
the  case,  and  if  they  find  the  allegation  of  infra  terminos  proved, 
they  may  restore  the  property  to  the  original  owner. 

If  a  lawful  prize,  contrary  to.  prohibition,  come  within  neu 
tral  waters,  the  most  the"  neutral  can  do  is  to  order  her  to  depart 
without  interfering  in  any  manner  with  the  captor's  possession. 

It  is  admitted  that  if  she  obstinately  refuses  to  depart,  or 
conducts  herself  otherwise  in  an  improper  manner,  she  may  be 
compelled  to  depart,  or  may,  indeed,  be  seized  and  confiscated 
as  a  penalty  for  her  offence.  But  there  is  no  plea  of  that  kind 
set  up  here.  To  show  how  sacred  is  the  title  of  mere  possession 
on  the  part  of  a  captor,  permit  me  to  quote  from  one  of  your 
own  authorities.  On  page  42  of  the  first  volume  of  Philliinore 
on  International  Law,  you  will  find  the  following  passage  :  "In 
1654  a  treaty  was  entered  into  between  England  and  Portugal, 
by  which,  among  other  things,  both  countries  mutually  bound 
themselves  not  to  suffer  the  ships  and  goods  of  the  other  taken 
by  enemies  and  carried  into  the  ports  of  the  other  to  be  con 
veyed  away  from  the  original  owners  or  proprietors." 

"  Now,  I  have  no  scruple  in  saying  (observes  Lord  Stowell 
in  1798)  that  this  is  an  article  incapable  of  being  carried  into 
literal  execution  according  to  the  modern  understanding  of  the 
law  of  nations ;  for  no  neutral  country  can  intervene  to  wrest 


APPENDIX,   NO.    VI.  327 

from  a  belligerent  prizes  lawfully  taken.  This  is  perhaps  the 
strongest  instance  that  could  be  cited  of  what  civilians  call  the 
consuetudo  obrogatoria." 

This  being  the  nature  of  my  title,  the  reasons  should  be  very 
urgent  which  should  justify  my  being  forcibly  dispossessed  of  it. 
But  there  are  no  such  reasons  apparent.  It  is  not  contended 
that  there  was  any  misconduct  on  the  part  of  the  Tuscaloosa, 
unless  her  entry  into  a  British  port  as  a  Confederate  cruiser  be 
deemed  misconduct.  As  stated  in  the  beginning  of  this  letter, 
she  had  no  intention  of  violating  any  order  of  the  Queen.  Her 
error,  therefore,  if  it  were  an  error,  is  entitled  to  be  considered 
with  gentleness  and  not  with  hardship.  Her  error  was  the  error 
of  yourself  and  his  Excellency  the  Governor,  as  well  as  myself. 
We  all  agreed,  I  believe,  that  she  was  a  lawfully  commissioned 
ship,  and  that  her  commission  estopped  all  further  enquiry.  In 
the  meantime,  she  proceeds  to  sea  thus  endorsed,  as  it  were, 
by  the  Colonial  authorities  ;  your  Home  Government  overrules 
your  decision ;  the  Tuscaloosa  returns  in  good  faith  to  your 
port  to  seek  renewed  hospitality  under  your  orders  of  neutrality. 
And  what  happens  ?  An  English  officer,  armed  with  your  order, 
proceeds  on  board  of  her,  turns  her  commander  and  officers  out 
of  her,  and  assumes  possession  on  the  ground  that  she  has  vio 
lated  the  Queen's  orders  ;  and  this  without  any  warning  to  de 
part  or  any  other  notice  whatever.  In  the  name  of  all  open  and 
fair  dealing — in  the  name  of  frankness,  candour,  and  good  faith, 
I  most  respectfully  enter  my  protest  against  such  an  extreme, 
uncalled-for,  and  apparently  unfriendly  course. 

But  the  most  extraordinary  part  of  the  proceeding  has  yet 
to  be  stated.  You  not  only  divest  me  of  my  title  to  my  prize, 
but  you  tell  me  that  you  are  about  to  hand  her  over  to  the  ene 
my  !  On  what  principle  this  can  be  done  I  am  utterly  at  a  loss 
to  conceive.  Although  it  may  be  competent  to  a  Government, 
in  an  extreme  case,  to  confiscate  to  the  Exchequer  a  prize,  there  is 
but  one  possible  contingency  in  which  the  prize  can  be  restored 
to  the  opposite  belligerent,  and  that  is  the  one  already  mentioned 
of  a  capture  within  neutral  jurisdiction.  And  this  is  done  on 
the  ground  of  the  nullity  of  the  original  capture.  The  prize  is 
pronounced  not  to  have  been  lawfully  made,  and  this  being  the 
case,  and  the  vessel  being  within  the  jurisdiction  of  the  neutral 
whose  waters  have  been  violated,  there  is  but  one  course  to  pur 
sue.  The  vessel  does  not  belong  to  the  captor,  and  as  she  does 
not  belong  to  the  neutral,  as  a  matter  of  course  she  belongs  to 
the  opposite  belligerent,  and  must  be  delivered  up  to  him.  But 


328 

there  is  no  analogy  between  that  case  and  the  one  we  are  con 
sidering.  My  capture  cannot  be  declared  a  nullity.  My  title  is 
as  good  against  the  enemy  as  though  condemnation  had  passed. 
The  vessel  either  belongs  to  me  or  to  the  British  Government. 
If  she  belongs  to  me,  justice  requires  that  she  should  be  deliv 
ered  up  to  me.  If  she  belongs  (by  way  of  confiscation)  to  the 
British  Government,  why  should  that  Government  make  a  gra 
tuitous  present  of  her  to  one  of  the  belligerents  rather  than  the 
other  ? 

My  Government  cannot  fail,  I  think,  to  view  this  matter  in 
the  light  in  which  I  have  placed  it ;  and  it  is  deeply  to  be  re 
gretted  that  a  weaker  people  struggling  against  a  stronger  for 
very  existence  should  have  so  much  cause  to  complain  of  the  un 
friendly  disposition  of  a  Government  from  which,  if  it  represents 
truly  the  instincts  of  Englishmen,  it  had  the  right  to  expect  at 
least  sympathy  and  kindness  in  the  place  of  rigour  and  harsh 
ness. 


No.  VII. 

MEASUREMENTS  OF  THE  ALABAMA. 

WE  are  indebted  to  Messrs.  Laird  Brothers,  of  Birkenhead, 
for  the  following  measurements  of  the  Alabama  : 

Length About  230  feet. 

Length  between  perpendiculars,    .     .     .         "     213.8" 

Breadth  of  beam  extreme, "       32.0  " 

Depth  moulded, "        19.9  " 

Draft  of  water  when  complete,  with  about 
300  tons  coal  in  bunkers  and  stores  on 
board  for  a  six  months'  cruise,  .  .  "  15.0  " 

Engines. — 300  horse  power  collective. 

Rig. — Three-masted  schooner,  with  long  lower  masts  and 
yards  on  fore  and  main-masts. 

The  hull  of  the  vessel  built  of  wood,  the  general  arrangement 
of  scantling  and  materials  being  the  same  as  in  vessels  of  simi 
lar  class  in  Her  Majesty's  navy. 

The  vessel  and  machinery  throughout  were  built  by  Messrs. 
Laird  Brothers  at  their  works  at  Birkenhead. 


W   Of  TH 

\    V  *     A      .1 


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